Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They
AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e
BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German
Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who
By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an
Navigation
Primary Navigation
Home
Singapore
Asia Pacific
World
Business
Entertainment
Sports
Technology
Top Stories
Most Popular
Secondary Navigation
Australia
China
India
Indonesia
Japan
Malaysia
Philippines
Thailand
Vietnam
Search
Search:
Malaysia frees alleged militant tied to 9/11 attackers
AFP - 20 minutes ago
KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) - - Malaysia said Wednesday it had released suspected terrorist Yazid Sufaat, who has been detained since 2001 after being connected with the September 11 attacks in the United States.
Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar said Yazid, a member of regional militant group Jemaah Islamiyah who was freed from a detention camp in northern Malaysia on November 24, was now safe to be released into society.
"He was considered as a threat to public security in Malaysia because he was part of Jemaah Islamiyah, trying to establish an Islamic government within the region," he told reporters.
"I think after holding him for so long, he can be brought back into society but at the same time we will follow closely everyone that may have ideology (of) militancy or extremism."
Syed Hamid did not say whether Yazid, whose extradition had been sought by the United States after his detention, was under any restriction order that would oblige him to report to police.
A home ministry official told AFP that Yazid was released on November 24.
The minister said five other Malaysian and foreign nationals were freed in December after being held without trial under the Internal Security Act (ISA) -- a law which human rights groups are pushing to have abolished.
The United States' 9/11 Commission Report has said that Yazid, a US-trained biochemist, was tasked by Al-Qaeda to develop a biological weapons programme and spent several months trying to cultivate anthrax at a lab in Afghanistan.
It also said that in 2000 he hosted at his apartment in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur four figures involved in the September 11, 2001 suicide plane attacks which killed nearly 3,000 people.
Syed Hamid said that since he had been appointed home minister in March, the number of ISA detainees had been reduced to 46 from 70.
"From time to time the cases will be reviewed and, as they are reviewed, we will look at the file and if it's time to release them we will do that. We will not hold them any longer than necessary," he said.
As well as suspected terrorists, the ISA has been used recently to detain government critics including the nation's top blogger, Raja Petra Kamarudin, who was freed in November under a landmark court ruling.
Email Story
IM Story
Printable View
Blog This
Recommend this article
Average (0 votes)
Sign in to recommend this article »
Most Recommended Stories »
Related Articles: Asia Pacific
Vietnam police launch probe in Japan bribery case: state mediaAFP - 17 minutes ago
Malaysia frees alleged militant tied to 9/11 attackersAFP - 25 minutes ago
Oil turns higher in AsiaAFP - 38 minutes ago
Malaysia leader pushes for reforms before retiringAP - 43 minutes ago
Court jails tanker officers over SKorea's worst oil spillAFP - 47 minutes ago
Enlarge Photo
Malaysia frees alleged militant tied to 9/11 attackers
Most Popular – Asia Pacific
Viewed
New recession warnings hit leading economies
Muslim pilgrims stone Satan at the hajj
Dow Chemical to cut 5,000 jobs, close 20 facilities
Stocks take flight on prospects for anti-recession moves
Military jet crashes in California suburb, three dead
View Complete List »
Search:
Home
Singapore
Asia Pacific
World
Business
Entertainment
Sports
Technology
Top Stories
Most Popular