Isis releases new threat video against Malaysia prompting security scale-up

Militants who have pledged allegiance to Islamic State (Isis) have released a new video in Malay threatening to attack Malaysia. The warning has forced authorities to scale up security measures.

The minute-long video was released by Katibah Nusantara, the Malaysian-Indonesian arm of IS (Daesh), in the wake of the recent terror attacks in Jakarta. The footage shows the Islamists threatening to retaliate if Malaysian authorities continue their crackdown on extremists.

According to the Malaysian daily The Star, the video was released under the title "mesej awam kepada Malaysia" meaning "public message for Malaysia".

The militants warned in the video: "If you catch us, we will only increase in number but if you let us be, we will be closer to our goal of bringing back the rule of the Khalifah [caliph]. Those who brand us as khawarij [dissenters], Daesh [Arabic acronym for IS] and even as Mossad agents are in fact Syiah and its allies."

"We will never bow down to the democratic system of governance as we will only follow Allah's rules."

The video has surfaced to coincide with Malaysia's conference on de-radicalisation – the gathering that is primarily aimed at tackling the IS. At the inaugural address on 25 January Prime Minister Najib Razak said: "The sufferings of our brothers and sisters in Syria and Iraq, where Daesh has displaced millions, enslaved thousands and forced local populations to live under their evil perverted tyranny, grieved us to the core. Since then, we have been horrified by the attacks on Paris, Istanbul, Ankara, Beirut and Jakarta, and the bombing of the Russian passenger jet over Sinai."

IS's growing tentacles in south and south-east Asia regions has become a serious cause for concern for authorities. Countries including Indonesia, Malaysia, India and Bangladesh have been stepping up their vigilance to check the influence of IS elements in their countries.

Following the latest video threat, Malaysia's counter-terrorism unit said they are accelerating their efforts in curbing extremists. "The video is a plan by the militants to spread terror and fear among the people. We are ready to face any threat, despite the grave nature. We have detained eight IS militants since the middle of this month," said Malaysian police's special branch director Mohamad Fuzi Harun.