KUALA LUMPUR: Armed Forces (ATM) chief Gen Tan Sri Zulkifeli Mohd Zin said Malaysia can control militant activities based on monitoring and intelligence by ATM and the police (PDRM).

He said Malaysia could not escape the spillover effects of militant groups because terrorist groups make neighboring countries location to recruit new members.

"However, in Malaysia, the situation is under control and monitored constantly," he said when contacted today.

"The arrest of two Malaysians in Lebanon for alleged involvement with Al-Qaeda does not mean that Malaysia is a training center for terrorists.

"We will continue to monitor this matter. There is possibility that they were trained in a neighboring country without the knowledge of their families," said Zulkifeli.

Last week, Lebanese authorities arrested Rafik Mohammed Ariffin, 28, and Mohammed Razin Shaaban, 21, for allegedly trained to become suicide bombers and linked to Al-Qaeda.

The case of the two men would be heard by the army tribunal in Beirut tomorrow after a judge asked them to engage a lawyer.

Bukit Aman director of Anti-Terrorist Task Force, Datuk Mohamad Fuzi Harun said police intelligence did not trace Al-Qaeda and did not receive information that Malaysia was used as a terrorist recruitment center.

However, police did not rule out the possibility that Malaysian students were recruited in a neighboring country.

In KOTA BAHARU, Deputy Inspector General of Police, Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar said it was waiting for a complete report from Lebanese authorities on the arrest of two Malaysians suspected of involvement with Al-Qaeda.

"We don't know why they were arrested," he told reporters after visiting shooting victim Lance Corporal Mohd Samsul Anuar Mohd Adnan at Raja Perempuan Zainab II Hospital here today.


- Bernama