THE improvised explosive device (IED) created by a 19-year-old, who was picked up by the counterterrorism unit on Wednesday, could easily kill those within a 20m to 30m radius, said Inspector-General of Police Mohamad Fuzi Harun.

An intelligence report revealed that the teen was among three people arrested last week who had planned to launch an attack on the cancelled Better Beer Festival, which was slated to be held in Kuala Lumpur this month.

Fuzi said the arrests were a result of intelligence efforts.

“We had denied that we made up reasons to cancel the beer festival. The recent arrests show that there were real threats.” 

The Better Beer Festival was supposed to have taken place on October 6 and 7 at the Publika Shopping Gallery, featuring 250 different craft beers from 43 breweries worldwide.

The Kuala Lumpur City Hall had rejected the event’s permit application after PAS central committee member Dr Riduan Mohd Nor spoke out against the festival, calling it a “pesta maksiat” (vice party) and claiming that it would turn Kuala Lumpur into the “largest vice centre in Asia”.

Police also came out with a statement later that there were threats of militant attacks if the event was allowed to go on.

Prior to the arrest of the trio, police had nabbed eight others for alleged terror activities.

They were four locals, three Filipinos and an Albanian.

One of the Filipinos was said to have permanent resident status in Malaysia.

On September 5, Fuzi announced that police had arrested 19 men suspected of having active links with the Islamic State, some of whom were planning to launch attacks during the closing ceremony of the Sea Games on August 30 and the 60th Merdeka Day celebrations the following day.

The suspects included 11 foreigners from Bangladesh, Maldives, Iraq, Palestine, Indonesia and the Philippines.

A few of them had directly participated in terrorist planning and killings, as well as other combat activities with IS or its affiliates. – October 17, 2017.