PETALING JAYA: Children as young as 12 have been recruited by extremists through online games such as Roblox, even as the Islamic State group (Isis) faces declining influence, says counter-terrorism expert Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay.
Extremists would befriend children on gaming platforms before inviting them to join private groups where they are taught to carry out attacks, said Ayub, a former deputy inspector-general of police who once headed the anti-terrorism unit at Bukit Aman.
"Police recently arrested children aged 12, 14 and 15. They were first recruited through games such as Roblox before joining other groups. That is where they were taught and trained to carry out terrorist attacks,” Malaysia Gazette quoted him as saying.
Ayob was speaking at a convention on Prophet Muhammad's birthday held in Kuala Lumpur.
He said some of the children were led to believe that killing police officers, soldiers and government officials was permissible in Islam. He cited a 2024 case in which a man aged about 20 or 21 attacked a police station with a parang and seized a firearm.
The attacker believed he was doing the right thing and would die a martyr if killed, Ayob said.
He also said his experience dealing with terrorism since 1995 showed that extremists often rejected mainstream Islamic teachings and interpreted the Quran and hadith to suit their beliefs.
Ayob urged Muslims to follow established Islamic teachings, which promoted moderation and rejected violence.
Extremist beliefs imported from abroad remained a threat, he said, citing the activities of the Jemaah Islamiah militant group in Malaysia in the past.
Ayob said tougher preventive laws were needed to deal with such threats and ensure those involved could be made to undergo rehabilitation. Education and parental supervision were also equally important to prevent extremist groups from influencing youths.
In January, a 14-year-old Singaporean boy was been placed under a restriction order after recreating Islamic State attacks and executions in Roblox and GoreBox, Channel News Asia reported.
The boy, who had been radicalised online, had also hoped to travel overseas to fight for the terrorist group, the report said.