He said police had arrested seven suspects and foiled their attempt last week to “attack” the Saudi Arabian delegation, which included King Salman Abdulaziz Al-Saud.
King Salman’s entourage arrived in Malaysia on Feb 26 for a four-day visit.
“The suspects were involved in producing false travel documents and distributing drugs.
“They were planning to attack Arab royalty when they visited Kuala Lumpur. Thank God we got them in the nick of time,” Khalid told a press conference after opening the two-day conference of the Far East Regional Working Group, during the 34th International Drug Enforcement Conference at the Equatorial Hotel in Penang today.
Khalid said of the seven suspects, four were Yemenis, two Indonesians and one Malaysian.
It was earlier reported that the four Yemeni militants were detained in a counter-terrorism raid last week in Cyberjaya, Selangor.
One was a chef at a Yemeni eatery and another was a student at a private university. The remaining two Yemenis were unemployed.
News reports also claimed the Yemeni nationals had been in the country for five years and joined local universities while being IS members.