Date : 25 September 2010
Comments by DPM & Minister for Home Affairs Wong Kan Seng on the Re-arrest of Mas Selamat Kastari, 25 Sep 2010
• I am glad that Mas Selamat Kastari (MSK) is now back in Singapore’s custody.
• His re-capture in Malaysia by the Malaysian security agencies in April 2009 and repatriation yesterday is testament to the close cooperation between the security agencies of Singapore and Malaysia. I thank the Malaysian Minister for Home Affairs and his security agencies – Malaysian Special Branch and the Special Task Force for their cooperation. It is a positive example of how countries in the region must work together in the fight against terrorism, and trans-national crime.
• We have re-taken custody of MSK at this time because our understanding with the Malaysian security agencies was that Malaysia would detain him as long as necessary to facilitate their own counter-terrorism investigations. They had recently informed us that they were ready to repatriate him. We then made arrangements to bring him back yesterday.
• I would also like to take this opportunity to express my deep appreciation for the support from numerous Singaporeans during the search for MSK in Feb 2008. Many had, for example, organised themselves into teams to distribute and put up posters of MSK across the island. This demonstration of our community pulling together is heartening.
• MSK has been arrested under the Internal Security Act (ISA) upon his return to Singapore and is currently held at the Whitley Road Detention Centre (WRDC).
• I know that Singaporeans will be interested to know the details of how he managed to escape from the WRDC. This matter is now being investigated and I am unable to say more at this stage. How long the investigation will take will depend, for example, on how cooperative MSK is, and the veracity of his disclosures. But I would like assure Singaporeans that when the investigations can conclusively determine how MSK had escaped from the WRDC, and the information does not compromise operational security, these facts and findings will be shared with the public.
• Mas Selamat is a hardened radical. His re-arrest in Singapore does not mean that the terrorist threat to Singapore has diminished. The threat is real and the countries in the region have been working hard to combat it.
• I urge the public to continue to maintain their vigilance. We must not be complacent.
Ministry of Home Affairs Press Statement, 24 September 2010
Mas Selamat Kastari, the leader of the Singapore Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) terrorist network, was handed over to Singapore custody today by the Malaysian authorities. He has been arrested under the Singapore’s Internal Security Act, and is currently under investigation.
Mas Selamat escaped from the Whitley Road Detention Centre on 27 Feb 2008. Following close co-operation between the security agencies in Malaysia and Singapore, the Malaysian Special Branch arrested Mas Selamat in Johor on 1 Apr 2009, and detained him under Malaysia’s Internal Security Act until his repatriation to Singapore.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has conveyed its deepest appreciation to its Malaysian counterparts, the Malaysian Special Branch and the Special Task Force, for their assistance in the arrest and repatriation of Mas Selamat to Singapore. This operation illustrates the longstanding close cooperation between the Malaysian and Singaporean security agencies, which has served both countries well. MHA would also like to acknowledge and thank Singaporeans for their support and help rendered during the search for Mas Selamat.
Ministry of Home Affairs
24 Sep 2010