Singapore government confirms arrest of Mas Selamat
By Asha Popatlal and S Ramesh, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 08 May 2009 1049 hrs

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SINGAPORE: Details of the capture of Singapore's fugitive Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) leader Mas Selamat Kastari on April 1 in Johor Bahru have emerged as both the Singapore and Malaysian governments confirm his arrest.

In a statement on Friday, Singapore's Home Affairs Ministry said: "Mas Selamat has been arrested by the Malaysian Special Branch (MSB) in a joint operation between the MSB and the Internal Security Department (ISD)."

Deputy Prime Minister and Home Affairs Minister Wong Kan Seng said Singapore is happy that Mas Selamat has been arrested.

Mr Wong added that the public was not informed earlier of the capture so as not to compromise operations and jeopardise sources of information.

Singapore's Internal Security Department (ISD) had worked hard and looked at every lead, sharing information with its Malaysian counterpart.

Mr Wong also said that the MSB had done excellent work.

"Between ISD and MSB, there is a long standing cooperative cordial relationship and as a result of this kind of relationship, we are able to keep each of our countries safe and also contribute to the safety and security of the region," said Mr Wong.

For now, the JI leader will remain in Malaysia as the authorities there want to continue interviewing him.

When asked why the public could not be informed earlier, Mr Wong explained that there is a need for operational secrecy. He added that Malaysia wanted to investigate what other terrorist networks were up to.

The deputy prime minister said Singaporeans must maintain vigilance and not let their guard down following Mas Selamat's arrest as the terror threat is real and Singapore is a prime target.

With Singapore's long coastline, Mr Wong said Singaporeans must not assume the country is safe as there are other JI members who have not been detained.

He said: "Singapore is a small country. It has a long coastline, it is porous, and it is easy for people and goods to be brought in or even leave Singapore. So you should not assume just by the arrest of one person, Singapore will be safe from terrorists’ threat."

Mr Wong said Mas Selamat will be sent to the Whitley Road Detention Centre again when he is brought back to Singapore.

He added that the centre is now a different place compared to what it was when the JI leader escaped on February 27 last year.

He also revealed that Mas Selamat had swam across the Straits of Johor using an improvised flotation device to escape from the north shore of Singapore in February last year.

Separately, Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry S Iswaran said the arrest of Mas Salamat is a welcome piece of news to Singaporeans.

He said the JI leader's arrest speaks highly of security forces involved in the operation.

"It's a tribute to the professionalism of the intelligence agencies. They worked across borders with their partners to secure his eventual arrest."

- CNA/so/yt