A former Universiti Malaya lecturer is among five suspected Sources said authorities believed that the two men recruited and arranged for four Malaysians to be sent to Syria on March 5 this year, including Ahmad Tarmimi Maliki, the first Malaysian suicide bomber. One source said, "They were also responsible for arranging meetings between foreign and local militant leaders at a safe house in Shah Alam since late last year."
It's thought that the meetings were to establish a Daulah Islamiyah Asia Tenggara (South-East Asia Islamiyah network).
The sources said that Dr Mahmud, also known as Abu Handzalah, underwent training at an al-Qaeda camp in Afghanistan in the late 1990s, while he was studying at the Islamabad Islamic University in Pakistan.
The third member being sought is former Selayang Municipal Council employee Muhammad Joraimee Awang Raimee, also known as Abu Nur. A source said, "He is a spiritual leader of the group which spreads militant teachings and encourages Malaysians to fight in Syria."
The two other wanted men are Darul Islam Sabah members Mohd Amin Baco and Jeknal Adil. Sources said that both men had undergone training with Abu Sayyaf since 2005.
Police believe that Mohd Amin was involved in the brutal slaying of five people in southern PhiÂlippines in 2011, the video of which went viral on YouTube. Mohd Amin and Jeknal are also suspected of kidnapping two people in Lahad Datu on Nov 12, 2012, the sources said.