Inspector-general of police Khalid Abu Bakar has declined to comment on Bersih chairperson Maria Chin Abdullah’s alleged links to the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

When asked whether the police have information on such links, Khalid told reporters, “I am not going to comment on that. Ask the one who said it.”

He was speaking at a press conference at the International Islamic University of Malaysia today, after giving a talk on national security.

Maria was arrested last Friday over suspected ties with the Open Societies Foundation (OSF). She is being investigated under Section 124C of the Penal Code for attempting activities that are detrimental to parliamentary democracy, and held under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (Sosma).

Following her arrest, Umno information chief Annuar Musa claimed that Maria and her late husband Yunus Ali have ties to the CIA, through her work in several NGOs back in the 1980s.

Maria’s lawyer Ambiga Sreenevasan described Annuar’s allegations as "preposterous" and said she will be taking instructions on whether to pursue legal action against him.

Help for IS-linked Malaysians

On another matter, Khalid said the police has detained 260 people to date over their links to the militant group IS.

He added there are about 60 Malaysians in Syria and Iraq, of whom at least 50 of them are attempting to return to Malaysia but are unable to do so.

He said the government would assist their return where possible.

"How they get back here is up to them, because they are not allowed to leave. If they try to come back, they would be killed, so more or less they are trapped there.

"But if there is a way for us to help them return, we will help them because they are our citizens. Although we have heard that some of them had burnt or torn their passports and all that, many want to return and are seeking to return.

"As a country that is responsible for its citizens, we will try and help the come back," he said.

To a question, he said they will "surely" face the full force of the law once they reach Malaysia.

Meanwhile, when asked about the Regional Digital Counter-Messaging Communication Centre set up to counter violent extremist propaganda, Khalid said the centre is not yet fully operational.

Its messages in English, Malay, and Arabic are currently being handled manually, he said.

"It is on a lighter scale now, because the system is being installed. Once the system is fully installed, we will go full-swing," he said.