Published May 9, 2009

Minister tells of Mas Selamat flotation device

By TEH SHI NING

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THE arrest of escaped Jemaah Islamiah (JI) leader Mas Selamat Kastari was confirmed by Singaporean and Malaysian authorities yesterday.

Mas Selamat, accused of plotting to crash a plane here, had been on the run for more than a year but was arrested by the Malaysian Special Branch (MSB) in a joint operation between the MSB and Singapore's Internal Security Department (ISD).

Deputy Prime Minister and Home Affairs Minister Wong Kan Seng told a news conference the Singapore government was informed soon after the April 1 arrest but did not make an announcement to avoid compromising operations.

Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security S Jayakumar said that the capture was very good news and 'underscores the excellent working relations which our law enforcement and security agencies have with Malaysia'.

Mr Wong, too, commended the intelligence agencies for their work. 'Between ISD and MSB, there is a long-standing, cooperative, cordial relationship; and as a result of this kind of relationship, we were able to keep each of our countries safe,' he said.

Mr Wong also revealed that Mas Selamat used an 'improvised flotation device' to swim across the Johor Strait from the north shore of Singapore.

Malaysia's Bernama news agency reported yesterday that the JI leader was arrested near Skudai, 25 km from Johor Bahru. He is still in police custody and has not been sent to the Perak detention centre where Malaysian ISA detainees are held.

Malaysia's Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said that Mas Selamat was 'planning something that allowed us to arrest him'.

The Malaysian minister would not give further details, saying that it was a sensitive issue involving the intelligence agencies of Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia, and that he did not want to jeopardise it.

The captured fugitive will remain in Malaysia for now, while the authorities there interrogate him. But he will eventually return here to the Whitley Road Detention Centre, which, with added security measures, 'is today very different from the one on Feb 27, 2008', Mr Wong said.

Singaporeans must stay vigilant and not let their guard down, he warned. 'The threat of terrorism is real, we are a prime target. We must not assume that just by the arrest of one person, Singapore will be safe from terrorist threat.'