The arrests were made just days before Saudi Arabia's King Salman visited Malaysia on Feb. 26.
"They were planning to attack Arab royalties during their visit to Kuala Lumpur. We got them in the nick of time," Inspector General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar told reporters, according to Reuters.
On Sunday, Malaysia said it had arrested one Malaysian and six foreigners - one Indonesian, four Yemenis and one East Asian - between Feb. 21 and 26 for suspected links to militant groups including Daesh.