Civil servants have been among those arrested over suspected links with terror groups.

Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar said eight suspects were arrested on Oct 30, during operations held simultaneously in Selangor, Perak and Johor.

Six of the suspects are believed to be members of the Tandzim al-Qaeda Malaysia while the other two are suspected to be involved with the Islamic State (IS) terror group.

“All suspects are Malaysians between the ages of 22 and 36. Among those detained is a civil servant who is attached to a government department,” said Khalid in a statement today.

Among the eight suspects, two are both 28-year-old civil servants with alleged links to IS.

“Both suspects are from the same cell as two other civil servants who were caught on Aug 19, 2015,” Khalid said.

Two arrested in Lebanon in 2012

The other two suspects, aged 24 and 33, are suspected to be part of the Tandzim al-Qaeda group and were arrested in Lebanon on Oct 18, 2012, for trying to infiltrate into Syria to join the terror group.

Khalid said they were escorted back to Malaysia by a special team from the Counter-terrorism Department on Oct 30 and were detained once they reached the country.

The 24-year-old is a former civil servant from Selangor while the other person is a former electrician from Kuala Lumpur.

The other four suspects, aged between 22 and 36, were detained in Selangor and Johor.

“They are all members of the remnants of the Tandzim al-Qaeda group, most of whom are still hiding after an operation to arrest their top leaders was launched in February 2013.”

All of them were detained for offences related to terror activities under the Penal Code (Act 574) and will be investigated under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (Sosma).

In raids across the country back in August, police arrested 10 suspects believed to be IS members.

Those arrested included a kindergarten teacher, security forces personnel and a former interior designer.