There is nothing new about the militant group IS publishing its first Malay-language newspaper Al Fatihin to promote its cause, according to the police.

Special Branch counter-terrorism division assistant director Ayub Khan Mydin Pitchay said he believed the group will be publishing in more languages soon in order to garner support.

“This issue is nothing new, and it is not just Al Fatihin alone, but there have been many online publications prior to this that were created to spread IS ideology.

“I believe that after this, they will publish in many other languages. They are always working to create new material to ensure that they can increase their following,” Ayub told Malaysiakini.

Utusan Online today reported that the militant group is trying to spread its ideology amongst Malaysians by publishing Al Fatihin.

According to the report, the newspaper was created after Malaysians rejected the group's advances in the country.

The report added that the first edition of Al Fatihin contained various propaganda material as well as news about their militant activities, which are written in the Malay and Indonesian languages.

However, it is unclear how the newspaper is distributed.

Ayub added that he believed Malaysians are involved in the newspaper's publication.

“If you study Al Fatihin carefully, it contains a mix of Malay and Indonesian (languages), and I am convinced that the writer or its editor are Malaysians, or Malaysians in Syria,” he said.

Asked to what extent the police were prepared to deal with IS’ new publication, Ayub said this matter worried him.

“Yes (I’m worried). If I say the police are prepared, that is not exactly right because IS would come up with many different approaches. We don’t know what they will do next, and they may be planning to publish in another language.

“When it comes to social media, it is very difficult to control it. We may block them, but then they would just switch to another medium,” he said.

Two weeks ago, a grenade attack left eight people injured in Puchong, which later turned out to be IS’ first successful attack on Malaysian soil after several foiled attempts.

The group had previously delivered its propaganda messages through a Malay-language video on YouTube.

Among others, it warned that the police headquarters in Bukit Aman would no longer be peaceful, and it threatened to decapitate its foes.

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