PETALING JAYA: Supervisors are duty-bound to monitor their staff, especially those in the security line, by learning to identify the common red flags that indicate an individual has been radicalised by militant group Islamic State (IS).

Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay, Special Branch counter-terrorism division principal assistant director, told Channel News Asia (CNA) it was important that supervisors paid attention to the early signs of radicalisation in their staff.

“Supervisors tend to see this as a security issue to be handled by the police, hence such monitoring is currently lacking,” said Ayob.

He said among the telltale signs that an individual was likely radicalised was an open display of hatred towards those who did not share their views, or the tendency to challenge those in authority.

Radicalised individuals also tended to spend long periods chatting on social media platforms like Facebook and Telegram, Ayob told CNA, besides promoting violence and possessing IS-related symbols such as the militant group’s flag.

Ayob said it was common for radicalised individuals to liquidate their assets to fund their passage to Syria.

Ayob gave these suggestions when asked about last month’s arrest of an airport security guard for suspected links to the IS, the second such arrest involving airport personnel in the past two years.

While initial investigations revealed he was not planning a terror attack in the country, he was planning to go to Syria to join the IS.

CNA reported Ayob as saying that Malaysian authorities currently conducted security checks on new applicants entering the civil service, military, police force as well as airlines and airport service.

“After the applicants get the job, their supervisors are responsible for monitoring them,” said Ayob.

“There is also a need to monitor senior employees. When they joined years ago, IS did not exist,” Ayob told CNA.

The need to root out those radicalised by the IS is more pressing when it comes to airport security personnel as they have full access to the aircraft.

The most recent suspect was a security guard at an airport in Kuantan who had been responsible for the safety of the aircraft.

“It is dangerous to have someone turn radical who has access to an entire airport and its aircraft,” said Ayob.

“You must remember that IS had called for those who are not able to travel to Syria to conduct attacks in their home countries,” he told CNA.