KUALA LUMPUR: Police have identified an undisclosed number of Facebook account owners who are among the 3871 account holders red-flagged for their alleged involvement in recruiting members and spreading terrorism via social media networking sites.
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Mohamad Fuzi Harun today said the identities of some of those so far identified were obtained through the department's Counter Messaging Centre (CMC), which was launched in January.
"We will continue to monitor all Facebook accounts and social networking activities carried out by some of these flagged accounts and trace back to the holders," he said.
He said the CWC monitoring system's findings have been very positive and useful in assisting the police to identify and weed out suspects who do not share the same ideology or those against the ideals who did not meet the national security requirements.
"This is remarkable success achieved by PDRM, where previously Facebook accounts were rampantly abused (for many reasons), compared to now that it is being closely monitored.
"Officers who have been assigned to check on these social media accounts have been tasked to monitor in groups or from abroad, outside of Malaysia," he said when met after the Royal Malaysian Police Night Run cheque presentation programme at Senior Officers Mess in Bukit Aman here today.
He said police investigation include surveillance on some of the owners of social media accounts that are known or have the tendency to spread terrorism.
Mohamad Fuzi was commenting on a statement made by the deputy Home Minister Datuk Masir Kujat during the question-answer session at the Dewan Rakyat about government's efforts to curb terrorism through social media.
Masir had said 249 local and foreign individuals had been detained for allegedly recruiting members for terrorist activities through social media.
The breakdown of the figure given was 240 who used the Facebook, eight Twitter and one via Instagram to spread terrorism and recruit new members.