GEORGE TOWN: Police have arrested a 37-year-old man for possessing a sling bag bearing the Islamic State (IS) symbol.

State police chief Datuk Abdul Ghafar Rajab said the unemployed man was detained at an undisclosed location during a routine anti-drugs raid in Seberang Prai Tengah last Thursday.

“We found traces of ganja on him. Further checks at his house led to the discovery of the bag.” Ghafar said the man was a drug addict.

Police combed the house but found no dangerous weapons or firearms.

Ghafar said they believe the man was an IS sympathiser, and has been transferred to the federal police headquarters for further action.

The man is being investigated under the Security Offences (Special Measure) Act 2012 (SOSMA).

Last month, it was reported that IS had been intensifying efforts to lure sympathisers in the country to launch fatal attacks here.

The “replenishment” move was made following a crackdown by the authorities in the wake of the Jakarta attacks last month, which saw an IS cell here crippled through a series of raids carried out by federal police’s Special Branch Counter-Terrorism Division (SB-CTD).

Reports released by SB-CTD stated that the cell had received direct orders from Bahrun Naim — a leader of IS’ Malay-speaking arm, Katibah Nusantara, and suspected mastermind of the Jan 14 Jakarta attacks — to strike strategic locations in Malaysia.

Federal police Special Branch director Datuk Seri Mohamad Fuzi Harun told the New Straits Times that they had arrested 10 suspected members of the cell in a special operation.

The suspects were detained in a series of raids carried out by SB-CTD operatives over the span of 12 days from Jan 16.

Meanwhile, in an unrelated development, Ghafar said the police had seized 25.2 kilogrammes of methamphetamine at a hotel in Tanjong Tokong here yesterday with the arrest of two men.-nst