Some Malaysians taking out personal loans to join the Islamic State
At least two women borrowed money from local lenders to pay for their transportation to Iraq and Syria and for expenses while there
Malaysian militants seeking to join the Islamic State (IS) have been taking out personal loans from local banks or money lenders to fund passage and living expenses in Syria and Iraq, according to counter-terrorism officials.
The emerging trend comes after an IS cell leader in Malaysia urged followers to apply for the loans, which are unlikely ever to be repaid, in order to help them join the fight in the Middle East.
To date, at least 59 Malaysians are officially known to have joined IS in Syria and Iraq. More than 65 have been arrested by police either on their way to Syria and Iraq or on their way back since the start of last year.
"At least two women have taken out a personal loan to pay for their passage to Syria to join IS and to fund their living expenses there," a senior Malaysian counter-terrorism official said.
"One woman took out a 20,000 ringgit (HK$44,000) personal loan from RHB Bank. Another woman took out a 6,000 ringgit loan from a licensed money lender," the counter-terrorism official added.
The RHB Banking Group is Malaysia's fourth largest financial services group.