Two Malaysians charged in court for Al-Qaeda links

Two Malaysian men Yazid Sufaat (left) and Muhammad Hilmi Hasim, were arrested on Monday, May 27, 2013, for having suspected links to a branch of Al-Qaeda, police said, as the moderate Muslim country attempts to sever a connection between some of its citizens and Islamist militants in Syria. -- PHOTO: THE STAR

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Two Malaysian men were arrested on Monday for having suspected links to a branch of Al-Qaeda, police said, as the moderate Muslim country attempts to sever a connection between some of its citizens and Islamist militants in Syria.

The scrutiny comes after two Malaysians were arrested last October in Lebanon for trying to make their way to Syria to join a revolt against President Bashar al-Assad, where Al-Qaeda-linked militants are taking an increasingly prominent role.

The two men, aged 33 and 49, were brought before a lower court in the Malaysian capital where they were charged with joining the Tanzim Al-Qaeda Malaysia group between August last year and February.

"There appears to be a connection between these Malaysians and what is happening in Syria. We don't want it to spread," a high-ranking police source said. He declined to be identified because of the sensitivity of the issue.