One of Malaysia's most senior and powerful police figures has revealed investigations are underway into a possible link between the Jakarta terrorist attack and suspects in Malaysia.
Key points:
- Terrorist who died in bombing made phone call to Malaysia prior to attack
- Islamic State sympathisers in Malaysia and Indonesia communicating online
- Soldiers visible at Kuala Lumpur international airport and tourist spots in bid to curb threat
The director of Malaysia's special forces police branch, Mohamad Fuzi said forensic work in Jakarta had shown one of the terrorists who died on the day made a telephone call to Malaysia just prior to the attack.
"What we know is they are in contact with each other," Mohamad Fuzi told the ABC.
"I can only reveal to you after forensic investigation conducted by our Indonesian counterparts, there is one phone call made by the attacker to Malaysia," he said
"We are investigating, we are probing this at the moment."
Mohamad Fuzi said Islamic State sympathisers in Malaysia and Indonesia were communicating online.
He said the investigation was "veering" towards there being a Malaysian link to the Jakarta blasts.
The Malaysian Government has stepped up security, particularly in the capital Kuala Lumpur, since the Indonesian attack.
Soldiers are particularly visible at the Kuala Lumpur international airport and at popular tourists spots, including Jalan Alor (Alor street) where roads lined with restaurants are packed with customers and tourists most evenings.
38 inmates with links to Islamic State
There have now been more than 150 Islamic State-linked suspects arrested in Malaysia since 2013.
The Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak defended the nation's counter-terrorism laws, which have been widely criticised as being draconian and heavy-handed.
"We will not wait for outrage to take place and then take action," the Malaysian leader told this week's gathering.
The ABC has been told 27 of those detained for suspected links to IS are foreign fighters, most from Indonesia who have been deported home.
The head of Malaysia's Prison Department, Jamluddin bin Saad said there were 38 inmates in Malaysian prisons with links to Islamic State.
He told the ABC some were still "hard" or radical and all efforts were being made to stop them spreading violent ideology.
"It is very important to separate these inmates between leaders and followers," he said.
"And at the same time it is very important to isolate the individuals who are capable to influence the others."
'Prison failing to stop radicalisation of inmates'
In Indonesia, one of the attackers, Mohammed Afif, was released from jail where he had been serving time for terrorism offences just six months before he launched the attack.
At a counter-terrorism conference in Kuala Lumpur, Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict director Sidney Jones explained why she thought the Indonesian prison system was failing to keep radicalism under control.
She said the obstacles included overcrowding and a shortage of staff in Indonesian jails.
"We have had cases just about three months ago of a man who smuggled in his wife for three days, a convicted terrorist," she told the conference.
"Nobody reported it to the authorities until the third day.
"And we have had ISIS paraphernalia smuggled into prisons."
Ms Jones said there had also been cases where visitors were smuggled into Indonesian prisons to stay overnight to conduct "conversations".
The Indonesian Government is working to strengthen its counter-terrorism laws in the wake of the attack.
More than 500 Indonesian people are thought to have travelled to Syria. Authorities in Kuala Lumpur said about 50 Malaysians were fighting there and the small number who have returned home have been jailed.
