Malaysia and Saudi Arabia have signed a security and intelligence sharing agreement geared towards stopping terrorism and fighting organised crime. The pact comes after Malaysia uncovered an attempt by Islamic extremists led by a Syrian scholar with suspected ties to Al-Qaeda who were planning to blow up houses of worship last year. An interior ministry spokesman on Wednesday said the partnership will enable Kuala Lumpur and Riyadh to fight international terrorism, drugs smuggling forgery, counterfeiting, arms smuggling and money laundering. He said it will result in more frequent contact between senior officers from the Kingdom and Malaysia and will be a platform to evaluate the programs agreed by both parties. The spokesman said the agreement will enable the country to enhance security not only in Malaysia but across Asia.