KUALA LUMPUR: Police stepped up security after the United States Embassy in Malaysia warned Friday that criminal and terrorist groups were planning attacks against foreigners in the Borneo island state of Sabah.

A “warden notice” posted on the embassy’s website (http://malaysia.usembassy.gov/) said resorts located in isolated areas of eastern Sabah, a state bordering the southern Philippines, were of “present concern.” It identified areas of eastern Sabah including Semporna and the islands of Mabul and Sipadan.

The warning said there were indications criminal and terrorist groups “are planning or intend acts of violence against foreigners,” notwithstanding the Malaysian government’s ability to detect and prevent such attacks. “Please avoid or use extreme caution in connection with any travel in these areas or locations,” it said.

The state’s island resorts are popular with tourists.

The warden notice said the Philippines-based, Al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf group had kidnapped foreigners in eastern Sabah in the past. Criminal elements were also responsible for kidnapping and piracy, it said.

Malaysia’s deputy police chief, Ismail Omar, said his officers were taking all necessary steps. “I have alerted all my officers in Sabah to boost security at all these places,” he told Reuters.

A US embassy spokesman in Kuala Lumpur said such statements were issued periodically and the latest warning was posted “to enable people to make informed decisions about their security.”

The spokesman said there was a possibility the warning would be upgraded into an official travel advisory that would be issued by the US State Department.

In a separate development, a Malaysian student was charged Friday after allegedly posting comments on Facebook about throwing a gasoline bomb amid a recent spate of attacks on churches, most of which were hit by Molotov cocktails.

In a recent Facebook discussion over the use of the word Allah by non-Muslims, Mohamad Tasyrif Tajudin, 25, allegedly wrote” “You want me to throw a petrol (gasoline) bomb there? We can negotiate the price.”

He was charged under the Communications and Multimedia Act for improper use of the Internet, which carries a penalty of up to a year in jail and a fine if found guilty, said deputy public prosecutor Dusuki Mokhtar.

“He was not the one who prepared the firebombs or committed the crime. But he misused Facebook with the intention to cause disturbance. Posting such remarks is sensitive and dangerous,” Dusuki told The Associated Press.

Mohamad Tasyrif didn’t enter a plea and will remain in police custody as the case was postponed until Monday, he said.

Since Jan. 8, unidentified attackers have hurled Molotov cocktails at eight churches, one of which was partially gutted. Two other churches were vandalized with paint and a Sikh temple was pelted with stones.