KUALA LUMPUR, July 4 — Three men who were believed to have met Mas Selamat Kastari to revive the regional Islamic network Jemaah Islamiah (JI) have now joined him in detention.
The three men, aged between 43 and 53, were arrested on June 25 in Ulu Tiram and Masai in Johor, according to The Star newspaper. They are now being detained under the Internal Security Act.
Mas Selamat, the head of the JI network's Singapore cell, was recaptured in Johor on April 1 after being on the run for more than a year following his escape from a detention facility in the republic.
In a statement in Parliament on the day of the latest arrests, Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein reiterated that Mas Selamat was being detained in Malaysia because he posed a threat not only to the country but also to Indonesia and Singapore.
The minister also said his detention would ensure that his activities and contacts with other militant groups in the region could be contained.
Police chief Tan Sri Musa Hassan confirmed the arrests of the three men but declined to give further information, including on whether they were linked to Mas Selamat.
He told The Straits Times that all three were being held under the ISA which allows for detention without trial. Mas Selamat is also being held under the ISA in Malaysia for two years.
“It's under investigation, I can't say anymore,” the Inspector-General of Police said.
It is understood that investigators are trying to determine the kind of contact the three had with Mas Selamat before he was recaptured. Investigators believe that there was a serious possibility that they were trying to revive JI, which is reeling from the successive arrests of several of its members over the past few years.
The Abolish ISA Movement, a non- governmental organisation, identified those detained as Sulaiman Bukhari, Latif Omar, and a third man who was known only as Samsudin.
The movement's representative Nalini Elumalai said its information was based on that provided by an ex-detainee, who was not named.
Sources said all three were Malaysians.
According to The Star, the three were believed to be ordinary members of JI, and had been under surveillance. Police were looking to see if they were recruiting more members to revive the network.
Several of Mas Selamat's accomplices have also been detained since he was nabbed in Johor.
Shortly after he was caught hiding in a secluded kampung house, police picked up two men in Johor — Abdul Matin who lived in Ulu Tiram, and Johar Hassan from Skudai.
Abdul Matin, who helped to harbour Mas Selamat, was also detained under the ISA for two years while Johar was placed under “restricted residence” for helping him evade the authorities.
“Restricted residence” means Johar will not be allowed to travel at night or outside the northern Johor Baru police district, and will need to report to the police regularly. He was believed to have rented his house in Kampong Tawakal to Mas Selamat.
Two weeks ago, Indonesian police detained a Singaporean, Husaini Ismail, who was involved with the Singapore JI chief in the plot to crash a plane into Changi Airport in 2002.
Husaini was the last of a five-man cell involved in the plot to be arrested. Besides Mas Selamat, the others are in custody in Singapore or Indonesia.
Mas Selamat was apparently conceiving other plots even while on the run.
Addressing Parliament on June 25, Hishammuddin said: “We know his background, the details of his plan, network and contact with militant groups. He is arrested under the ISA as the government finds that he not only poses a threat to the country but also to the neighbouring countries like Singapore and Indonesia.”
“Believe me, from the information that we have gathered, it was a serious plan,” he added. — Straits Times
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