Details are sketchy at the moment, but it seems that Mas Selamat, the terrorist mastermind that escaped Singapore’s prison through the now famous “toilet route” was reportedly captured in Malaysia.
This blog post is being updated timely to reflect new developements as they appear.
SINGAPORE: Mas Selamat Kastari, Singapore’s Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) leader who escaped from Whitley Road Detention Centre last year, has reportedly been arrested in Malaysia.
Source: Channel News Asia
Update @ 0705hrs:
Straits Times has also run a story on it, and it was mentioned that Mas Selamat was captured over 6 weeks ago, but Malaysia authorities has choosed to keep numb on the matter.
It is believed that he was nabbed in the outskirts of Johor Baru and is now being held by the Malaysian authorities for interrogation.
It is not known how he slipped out of Singapore or when he entered Malaysia.
Although he was arrested six weeks ago, the Malaysian authorities have not yet announced the capture.
A senior Malaysian government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed the arrest and said that Mas Selamat was being held under the country’s Internal Security Act.
Source: Straits Times
What is Malaysia trying to do?
Update @ 0900hrs: It was revealed that Mas Selamat was captured on 1st April 2009.
Update @ 1100hrs: The information of Mas Selamat’s capture was given to Straits Times by “regional intelligence sources”. Mas Selamat was captured “in the outskirts of Johor Baru”.
Update @ 1330hrs: Mas Selamat had used a “improvised flotation device to escape from the north shore of Singapore to Johor Bahru”. Source
This is a complete joke as Singapore is quick to increase security at checkpoints, thinking that checkpoints are the only route of escape into another country. In the end he just floated over happily.
Update @ 1400hrs: We were lucky that he got arrested in time.
‘He was planning something that allowed us to arrest him,’ said Malaysian Home Minister Hishamuddin, declining to give more details on his arrest and whereabouts.
Source: Straits Times
Update @ 1415hrs: Singapore Government purposely delayed the reporting of this information to the public. Source
However, I don’t quite buy this.
If the government had purposely withheld this information, the information would be “officially released” by ISD or government to appear in Straits Times instead of being released quietly in the middle of the night and with “regional intelligent sources” quoted as the source of this information.(Government confirms Mas Selamat is indeed arrested).
You really see them weaving threads of a tall tale into a fabric.
Update @ 1500hrs: Malaysia Government has also confirmed that they have Mas Selamat under their detention, but would not confirm the date of arrest and venue. Source
Mas Selamat will not be returning to Singapore yet as “For now, the JI leader will remain in Malaysia as the authorities there want to continue interviewing him.” Source
Update @ 1550hrs: Mr Wong now claims that Singapore government was informed “soon after” the arrest was made. Source
Update @ 1600hrs: Mas Selamat will be put into the same detention centre once he is back.
ESCAPED Mas Selamat Kastari, who has been caught in Johor Baru, will be detained again at the Whitley Road detention centre when he is brought back to Singapore after the Malaysian authorities have completed their interrogation.
Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng said the detention centre, where the terror leader of the Singapore Jemaah Islamiah network escaped from, ‘is today very different from the one on Feb 27, 2008′ – the day Mas Selamat escaped.
‘Many security measures have been put in place and that is the place we are going to put him,’ Mr Wong, who is Home Affairs Minister, told a media conference on Friday morning, after news broke that the JI terrorist has been arrested.
And Mr Wong admits not knowing about the details of the arrest.
‘We don’t know all the details and until he’s brought back to Singapore and ISD interview him, we don’t have much information on that,’ he said.
Source: Straits Times
Update @ 1640hrs: Not getting much updates from local news site, I went to look at Malaysia’s The Star and indeed there are more information there.
KUALA LUMPUR: Suspected Singaporean terrorist Mas Selamat Kastari has been arrested by Malaysian police.
It is learnt the fugitive, who escaped from a Singapore maximum security detention centre on Feb 27, 2008 was arrested in Johor together with two others by Special Branch officers following intelligence sharing with the police forces of Indonesia and Singapore.
Sources said police here who had been on high alert for the suspected terrorist since his escape had gathered intelligence from their counterparts that Mas Selamat was hiding in Johor and was planning to create unrest in several countries in the region.
A massive operation was launched by the Special Branch with the help of other police departments here.
The month-long operation paid off when Mas Selamat who is said to be the leader of the Jemaah Islamiah (JI) in Singapore was arrested.
Police also seized documents and other paraphernalia that allegedly revealed their planned operation.
Source: The Star
It is amazing that one single short article in Malaysia’s papers The Star provides so much more information than the many articles in Channel News Asia and The Straits Times.
Watch this space. More updates to follow.
For discussion on why his arrest was only made known now, visit here
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