KUALA LUMPUR, June 26 — National security forces remain on high alert to address any threats, particularly those involving elements of the extremist group Daesh, Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said.

He said this was evident through the success of the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) in detaining several individuals who recently attempted to spread the ideology.

"The Daesh elements still exist, but the police have successfully thwarted these attempts, showing that the security forces are always in a state of readiness.

"These arrests also indicate that the Daesh elements are within the scope where the security forces can manage them,” he said when asked to comment on the country’s security level following the recent detention of eight individuals involved in Daesh ideology.

Saifuddin Nasution was speaking to reporters after officiating at the National Drug Addiction Science symposium here today, which was also attended by the Deputy Director-General (Operations) of the National Anti-Drugs Agency, Khairul Anwar Bachok.

It was reported on Monday that eight locals were detained in a simultaneous operation in four states over the weekend for their suspected involvement with the Daesh terrorist group ideology.

The arrests involved six men and two women in Kelantan, Selangor, Johor and Penang, with all the suspects, aged between 25 and 70, detained under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (Sosma). — Bernama