Bukit Aman Special Branch Counter Terrorism Division (E8) chief Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay said 11 of them are men and the rest women and children.

“A total of 40 from 65 Malaysians detained in Syria had contacted us and told us they want to come home.

“We expect the number of those who want to return to rise from time to time.

“We have obtained information that the camps in Syria are in critical situation, especially due to food shortage,” he told reporters after taking part in a forum organised by the Malaysian Muslim Welfare Fund Foundation in conjunction with Warriors Day at the Sultan Idris Shah II mosque here last night.

Ayob said police could only be involved in the early stages of efforts to bring the Malaysians home but the final say lay with the government and the communication process with foreign agencies.

“The men are being held at Al-Hasakah prison while the women and children are placed at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) camp,” he said.

In October last year, police brought home a Malaysian man, a woman and two of her children and another woman whose husband, a Daesh (Islamic State) group member, was killed during fighting.

Ayob said the men brought home would be charged in court. Action against women would depend on the level of influence they were under, while children would undergo rehabilitation programmes.

He said there were still many more Malaysians being arrested for trying to sneak into Syria.

On the latest developments in the southern Philippines, he said terror activities had stepped up on the basis that it was geographically nearer and easier to enter and exit.

“Many of them interact through social media,” he said.

Earlier, Ayob pointed out that not following the true teachings of Islam was among the reasons why some Muslims were involved in terrorism, with many influenced by deviant ideology and sects.

“They reject the views and interpretation of others and their interpretation is akin to a mafia mindset,” he said.