Malaysia returns terrorist suspect who escaped from high-security Singapore prison

In this Feb. 4, 2003 file photo, terrorist suspect Mas Selamat Kastari is escorted by Indonesian Police officers into the Tanjung Pinang police station in Tanjung Pinang, on the Indonesian resort island of Bintan off the coast of Singapore. Malaysia deported the Singaporean terrorist suspect Friday, Sept. 24, 2010, nearly 18 months after he was captured while on the run after staging a dramatic escape from a high-security prison in the city-state.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysia on Friday handed over to Singapore a terrorist suspect who had staged a dramatic escape 2 1/2 years earlier from a high-security prison in the city-state.

Mas Selamat Kastari, the suspected commander of the Singapore arm of the al-Qaida-linked Jemaah Islamiyah militant group, was captured by the Malaysian police in April 2009 after more than a year in hiding. He is accused of plotting to hijack a plane and crash it into Singapore's international airport.

Singapore's Home Ministry said Mas Selamat, a Singaporean of Indonesian origin, was arrested under Singapore's Internal Security Act — which allows indefinite detention without trial — soon after he was handed over by Malaysia.

Malaysian and Singaporean officials refused to say why Mas Selamat was moved to Singapore, but the island nation had long sought his custody.

His deportation came two days after Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak visited Singapore for talks with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on a land-swap deal.

The Singapore Home Ministry said in a statement that Mas Selamat's capture and deportation illustrated "the long-standing close cooperation between the Malaysian and Singaporean security agencies, which has served both countries well."

Mas Selamat, who is in his late 40s, escaped from a heavily guarded jail in Singapore on Feb. 27, 2008, by wriggling out of a bathroom window in a shocking breach that severely embarrassed the city-state known for its rigorous security. His ability to remain in hiding for more than a year underscored that terrorist networks in the region remain strong.

The search for Mas Selamat initially focused on Singapore and neighboring Indonesia, where it was thought the local branch of Jemaah Islamiyah could provide shelter for him.

He was captured in the southern Malaysian state of Johor on April 1, 2009, and detained under the Internal Security Act, which is similar to Singapore's ISA.

Mohamad Fuzi Harun, head of the Malaysian police's counterterrorism unit, said Mas Selamat had made contacts with Jemaah Islamiyah members in Johor and was involved in plans to launch attacks on Singapore while hiding in the state.

He was handed over to Singapore because investigations of him have been completed, Mohamad Fuzi said in a statement.

Mas Selamat first fled Singapore in December 2001 following a crackdown on Jemaah Islamiyah. He was arrested by Indonesian police on Bintan island in January 2006 and handed over to Singapore authorities.

Jemaah Islamiyah is accused of carrying out the 2002 bombings in Bali, Indonesia, that killed 202 people.

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Associated Press Writer Vijay Joshi contributed to this report.