KUALA LUMPUR, April 13 (NNN-Bernama) — The spread of the COVID-19 outbreak in the country has indirectly helped reduce terrorism threats in the country, says Bukit Aman Special Branch Counter Terrorism Division (E8) principal assistant director DCP Normah Ishak.
She said that since the police began implementing preventive measures and continuous monitoring due to the pandemic in early 2020, there was a corresponding drop in terrorism activities.
“The police has seen that the level of these activities have remained stable and managable following the COVID-19 outbreak.
”The outbreak in the country is a blessing in disguise to the police to continue to identify any potential terrorism acts that might occur in the country,” she said when appearing as a guest on the Ruang Bicara programme broadcast on Bernama TV here Monday night.
She said the pandemic situation had also indirectly led Malaysians out of their comfort zones into survival mode.
“Everyone has their own problems, some lost their jobs, some have outstanding debts, some can’t even pay their rent, while others don’t have enough to eat.
“This has indirectly led to a disruption in daily life, and as a consequence, it has also dampened the spirits of those Malaysians who were supporting these terrorist groups,” she said.
Normah said terrorists were also affected by the uncertain conditions in the country as well as the eventualities they faced.
However, she said the situation should not be taken lightly as the threat of terrorism would always change according to the situation and environment.
She said terrorist groups worked in a very structured and organised manner and mostly targeted groups that could easily be exploited such as teens, youth and the disenfranchised, while some professionals were also involved in the movement after becoming obsessed with a deviant viewpoint or a futile cause.
— NNN-BERNAMA