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.
Mas Selamat was arrested in February 2006 and was sent to Singapore for investigations before he escaped in February last year. The facts are plainly Indonesia caught Mas Selamat handed him over to Singapore, Singapore lost him and couldn't find him, and Malaysian authorities caught him in April in Johor. Yesterday's Straits Times had these headlines about "Singapore's role arrest" and "Lead came from Singapore" . It was as if Malaysian authorities were guided by Singapore to capture Mas Selamat. Strange isn't it....because Singapore home affairs ministry seemed to believe that he had escaped to Indonesia.
