Malaysian police said Monday they exposed a new Islamic State (IS) extremist cell that planned to use the eastern state of Sabah as a transit point for sending IS members to the Philippines.

The nation’s police chief, Inspector General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar said officers from his department discovered the cell after arresting four people – a Filipino man, two Bangladeshi men and a Malaysian woman – during counter-terror raids in Sabah and Kuala Lumpur on Jan. 13 and 19. All of the suspects are being held under the Security Offenses (Special Measures) Act 2012.

… Isnilon leads al Harakat ul Islamiyah Basilan, one of three southern Philippine militant groups that have pledged allegiance to IS and make up IS Philippines, according to Rohan Gunaratna, a BenarNews contributor who directs the International Center for Political Violence and Terrorism Research at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore.