Mas Selamat caught in the outskirts of Johor Bahru, finally

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Mas Selamat caught in the outskirts of Johor Bahru, finally

May 8th, 2009 florence.tan

In a news that will put a wide smile on the Singapore Police Force and Singapore’s Home Affairs Minister Wong Kan Seng, Mas Selamat was finally caught, in the outskirts of Johor Bahru. This was following a tip off given by the Singapore’s Internal Security Department (ISD). It is understood that Mas Selamat was already caught in early April 2009 and has been under interrogation by the Malaysian authorities since.

Limsimi.com - Picture of Mas Selamat

Although he was arrested 6 weeks ago, no one officially announced the capture until the news was leaked by a senior Malaysian officer whom spoke on the condition of anonymity. It is believed that the fugitive will soon be brought back to Singapore.

Lingering questions like how Mas Selamat managed to escape to Johor despite the heavily stepped up border and checkpoints security will still need to be answered by the Singapore Police Force. In addition, who are his networks across both sides of the causeway who assisted in his escape? What were his activities during this thirteen months period since he made his audacious escape from the Whitley Detention Center? Were any other JI members caught? And why was he hiding in Johor rather than in Indonesia where is he has more network?

For now, we just hope that the vehicle clearance timings across the causeway will improve.

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2 Comments Add your own

1. admin | May 9th, 2009 at 10:27 AM

More updates:
Mas Selamat was PLOTTING HITS ON S’PORE

The Straits Times

By Chua Lee Hoong, Political Editor

JEMAAH Islamiah (JI) terrorist Mas Selamat Kastari was plotting attacks on Singapore at the time he was captured in Johor on April 1.

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak disclosed this to Malaysian media yesterday, hours after Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng told local media the JI leader escaped Singapore by swimming across the narrow stretch of water that separates Singapore from Johor, with the help of an ‘improvised flotation device’.

Datuk Seri Najib told Malaysian reporters: ‘We apprehended him here (in Malaysia), his main focus at the time was Singapore. He was planning a lot of things in Singapore.’
2. admin | May 9th, 2009 at 10:28 AM

The Star

Saturday May 9, 2009
Mas Selamat JI leader nabbed in Skudai
By LOURDES CHARLES and DHARMENDER SINGH

KUALA LUMPUR: Fugitive Mas Selamat Kastari, one of the region’s most wanted terrorists, was nabbed while he was sound asleep in a secluded kampung house in Skudai, Johor.

The Singaporean terrorist who captured world attention when he escaped from the republic’s maximum security Whitley Detention Centre in February last year, could barely put up a fight in his shorts and T-shirt when caught during a dawn raid in April.

Described as highly dangerous, the 48-year-old Mas Selamat who was trained in firearms and explosives, was said to be masterminding “unrest” in several countries in the region.

Guarded: A Feb 4, 2003 file pic showing Mas Selamat being guarded by Indonesian police in Tanjung Pinang on Bintang island, Riau. — AFP

The Jemaah Islamiah (JI) leader of the Singapore chapter, who had a S$1mil (RM2.4mil) bounty on his head, had been living the life of a simple villager without arousing the suspicions of villagers there.

(The radical JI movement with key figures such as religious scholar Abu Bakar Basyir and Hambali was linked to Al-Qaeda led by Osama bin Laden. While Abu Bakar, who was jailed and then freed had denied any involvement in terrorist activities, Hambali is still being detained at the infamous Guatanamo Bay. The movement, which aimed to set up a Pan Islamic state comprising Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Thailand and the Philippines, was said to have carried out several bombings in Jakarta, Bali and Manila).

Regional intelligence sources said Mas Selamat, who escaped the maximum security detention centre by climbing out through the toilet window, fled to the northern part of Singapore before swimming across to Johor.

Mas Selamat managed the feat despite having leg injuries.

His escape greatly embarrassed the Singapore Government which then launched a massive manhunt, described as the largest ever in the republic, for him.

Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein and Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan confirmed Mas Selamat’s arrest and detention under the ISA.

“He was planning something and that led to our arresting him,’’ Hishammuddin told a press conference.

He said Malaysian police were working with Singaporean and Indonesian authorities on the investigations, and declined to say when exactly the fugitive was nabbed.

“There are certain things of national interest that do not just involve Malaysian intelligence but can affect our work with the other two countries like in this case and with Germany, the United States and Britain in the case of Al-Qaeda,’’ Hishammuddin said.

Musa said the arrest was made possible as police in Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia had been sharing intelligence reports over the past year.

“We have been in contact with our international counterparts who were informed about the arrest as well as what we have gathered from Mas Selamat since his arrest last month.

“Our officers are still investigating his activities and networking,” he added.

It is learnt that Special Branch officers had been working on various leads since March and upon confirming his whereabouts planned the dawn raid that resulted in his arrest.

Mas Selamat who was arrested in 2006 in Bintan, Indonesia, was accused of wanting to crash a plane into Changi International Airport’s control tower using either an American, British or Singapore Airlines aeroplane.

He was deported to Singapore where he managed to escape.