KOTA KINABALU: A pre-dawn raid in Beaufort on Saturday led to the capture of eight members of the notorious Abu Sayyaf terror organisation.
Two of the members were reportedly high on the Philippines' most wanted list for their involvement in kidnappings as well as armed clashes with Philippine security forces.
Police are now trying to establish why they had entered Sabah and whether their presence has any further ties to the Islamic State (IS) terror group.
The eight Abu Sayyaf members were arrested during a 3am raid in a mangrove area in Taman Sri Arjuna, conducted by the police and a team from the Eastern Sabah Security Command (Esscom).
They were among 37 Filipinos detained in the operation.
Sabah police commissioner Datuk Hazani Ghazali, in a statement, said two of the members were listed as wanted persons by the Philippine government.
"The duo were involved in an armed conflict with Philippine marine security forces at the Bud Bawis Complex in Panamo Sulu in 2011, 2018, 2019, and the latest in November 2020.
"They were also involved in several kidnappings of foreign citizens in the Philippines," he said.
Hazani said all those detained are being remanded until May 12 to facilitate investigation under the Societies Act 1966.
"We are trying to glean more information as to why they entered Sabah and what sort of assistance they were receiving throughout their stay in the state," he said.
Police, he said, will also be collecting information on whether any separate cells have been established in Sabah for IS and Abu Sayyaf.
The authorities will also examine the entry and exit routes used by the group, whether firearms were brought in, and identify their facilitator in the state.
Hazani said the 37 arrested Filipinos comprised eight men, eight women and 21 children.
Meanwhile, on the inter-district movement control, Hazani said Sabah police have mounted 51 roadblocks throughout the state.
He said police have formed 355 Covid-19 monitoring teams with 2,103 personnel to ensure that the people comply with the standard operating procedures set by the Sabah National Security Council.