Malaysian authorities said Monday they have detained 17 suspected militants who were planning acts of terrorism in the country, while parliament began debating on tough anti-terrorism legislation that critics fear could be used to stifle dissent.
Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi disclosed that those detained, aged between 14 and 44, were plotting to kidnap several "high-profile individuals."
"They were planning to attack police stations and army camps to obtain weapons," he said in his speech when winding-up the debates on the Prevention of Terrorism Bill in the federal parliament.