Malaysian police arrested three people suspected of trying to join Islamic State fighters in the Middle East, and were searching for four others connected with the militant group, police said today.

The suspects - an architect, a technician, and a shopkeeper - were arrested on Wednesday shortly before boarding a flight to Turkey at the KL International Airport, according to Malaysian police anti-terrorism chief Ayob Khan.

“Initial investigations revealed that the suspects were planning to board a flight to Istanbul, which transited in Doha,” The Star newspaper quoted Ayob Khan as saying.

The men were planning to head on to Syria “where they would join the Islamic State terror group,” he added.

A police source said the three were undergoing interrogation.

“Police officers have searched their houses and recovered materials that could lead us to their recruiters,” he told dpa, without giving details.

The source said police were still looking for four other Islamists believed to have direct links to Islamic State militants.

Nearly 100 Malaysians are estimated to have joined various jihadi groups fighting in Iraq and Syria, including Islamic State.

- dpa