Malaysia says it foiled plot to attack King Salman

Malaysia said on Tuesday that four suspected militants from Yemen arrested late last month ahead of King Salman’s visit were said to be planning an attack on the Saudi King.

"Four Yemenis, apart from their role involving in producing false travel documents they are also involved in distributing drugs... and they are also planning to attack the Arab royalties during the visit in Kuala Lumpur, so we got them in the nick of time,” Malaysia’s Inspector General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar told reporters Tuesday.

The four belonged to Yemen's Houthi movement, which has been fighting other Yemeni forces backed by a Saudi-led military coalition for two years, an unnamed senior Malaysian police source said.

Malaysian police had earlier said the men were suspected of links to militant groups, including Daesh.

“It is no doubt a terrorist act. Should it be Daesh or Houthis supported by Iran, this is what the local Malaysian investigation will reveal,” a Saudi source was quoted by Reuters as saying.

King Salman arrived in Kuala Lumpur on Feb. 26 for a four-day visit, at the start of a month-long Asia tour.

Between Feb. 21 and Feb. 26, Malaysia arrested one Malaysian and six foreigners – the four Yemenis, one Indonesian and one East Asian – for suspected links to militant groups, the news agency reported, citing a police statement.

Police are said to have seized multiple international passports from the four Yemenis, along with 270,000 ringgit ($60,000) in different currencies.

The money, police suspect, was intended to be channeled to insurgents.

According to police, the Malaysian and the Indonesian were planning to launch a large-scale attack using a "vehicle-borne improvised explosive device.”