Top official says terror fugitive likely still in Singapore

Associated Press ,  Singapore   |  Sun, 03/02/2008 4:00 PM  |  World

Authorities believe a top Muslim terror suspect has not managed to flee Singapore and have launched an investigation into how he escaped from a high-security prison, a senior government official said Sunday.

More than a thousand security personnel were involved in a nationwide search for Mas Selamat Kastari, who is accused of plotting to hijack a plane and crash it into the Singapore's international airport.

Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng said there was no evidence that Mas Selamat, a Singaporean, has fled the country since escaping from a detention center Wednesday. Mas Selamat was being held under the Internal Security Act, which allows indefinite detention without trial.

"Our security agencies assess that Mas Selamat is still in Singapore," said Wong, who is also Home Affairs Minister. Officials have voiced concern that he may have fled to nearby Indonesia.

Special operations officers, elite Gurkha guards and soldiers were combing the island nation's forests, and security had been tightened at land, air and sea checkpoints. Mas Selamat is said to be the commander of the al-Qaida-linked Jemaah Islamiyah's Singapore arm.

"Our officers understand the mission and know the importance of finding and arresting Mas Selamat, no matter what it takes," Wong said.

The international police organization Interpol has issued a "red notice" for the arrest of Mas Selamat, according to its Web site.

A "red notice" is a request for a wanted person to be arrested for possible extradition and it places the suspect on Interpol's most-wanted list. Interpol cannot force countries to arrest or extradite suspects.

Wong said Mas Selamat escaped because of a "security lapse" at the detention center. Mas Selamat had been taken from his cell to a room where he was waiting for his family to make a scheduled visit. He fled after being granted permission to visit the washroom.

Authorities were investigating if anyone helped the suspect - who is known to walk with a limp - to escape, Wong said.

Security weaknesses at the detention facility have been fixed, Wong said, but he did not provide details. A high level inquiry has been launched to investigate the matter, he said.

Security breaches are virtually unheard of in tightly policed Singapore, an island nation of 4 million people that is a 45-minute boat ride from Indonesia where Mas Selamat is alleged to have links with militant groups.

Some 500 policemen were deployed at entry points to Batam, the closest Indonesian island to Singapore, while wanted notices were displayed at seaports, the airport, and on every immigration officer's desk, Batam police chief Col. Slamet Riyanto told the AP.(**)

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