Five Thai madarsa students arrested in Pakistan for trying to smuggle a pistol and ammunition aboard a flight to Bangkok are suspected of having links to local militants and the Islamic State (IS) terror group, media reported today.
Thai security officials are now questioning the families of the five Muslim men, who are in their early 20s and were studying at a religious school in Swat, Bangkok Post quoted intelligence sources as saying.
A 9mm pistol, bullets and magazines were found in their luggage as they checked for a Thai Airways flight at Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore, a security official said.
The Bangkok-bound flight TG-346 was to leave on Monday night when security officials offloaded the five Thai passengers.
Thai intelligence sources said that two of the five students were suspected of having been trained by or been involved with members of IS groups.
Thai Foreign Ministry spokesman Sek Wannamethee said yesterday that the ministry has also ordered the embassy in Islamabad to cooperate with agencies in Pakistan under their regulations and laws to ensure the students receive justice.
Southeast Asia has emerged as a key recruitment centre for IS with more than 500 Indonesians having joined the terrorist group and dozens recruited in Malaysia and Thailand.
IS has occupied large swathes of land in Iraq and Syria and has declared an Islamic Caliphate in the territory it controls.
