Hambali's mother-in-law says he was quiet, hated television

Hambali's mother-in-law says he was quiet, hated television

Jasbant Singh, Associated Press, Kuala Lumpur

He is accused of being al-Qaeda's point man in Southeast Asia and masterminding deadly bomb attacks and plots across the region. But to his mother-in-law, terror suspect Hambali is a perfect family man who would do no wrong.

Salmah Abdullah lived with Hambali and her daughter Noraliza Abdullah in a small town north of Kuala Lumpur for three years before the couple left abruptly in 2001, several months before the Sept. 11 attacks in New York and Washington set off the war on terrorism.

Hambali, 39, alias Riduan Isamuddin, and Noraliza, 33, were on the run for two years before they were arrested Aug. 11 in central Thailand by Thai authorities and the CIA.

In interviews published in Malaysian media on Thursday, members of Noraliza's family said they had no idea Hambali may have been involved in alleged terrorist activities and described him as a quiet and devout Muslim cleric.

"He is the perfect family man," Salmah, 67, was quoted as saying in The Star newspaper. "He is incapable of doing wrong. I have never seen him angry. He is a soft spoken person who never raises his voice."

Hambali detested television and watched only news programs, telling his mother-in-law that entertainment shows corrupted the mind.

But he spent "long hours on the computer late at night," she said.

Noraliza married Hambali in the early 1990s after they met at an Islamic religious school in southern Malaysia that authorities say was a front for the Jamaah Islamiyah (JI) extremist network.

Abdul Said, Noraliza's stepbrother, said Hambali wore an Islamic beard and white skull cap and had a very religious appearance. One time, when Noraliza visited Salmah with Hambali about five years ago, "she was dressed like a Taliban woman," Abdul Said told the New Straits Times.

Salmah said Hambali often received visitors from Singapore, Pakistan and the Middle East, but he sent the women out of the room and never spoke about their meetings.

"Our conversation only centered on family," she said. "Even when eating together he would only talk about the food."

Salmah, who was interviewed by The Star in a remote fishing village on Borneo island where she now lives, said Hambali spent much of his time traveling, but enjoyed home cooked meals. "He loved crabs, especially baked crabs," she said.

Salmah said Hambali was unable to have children because he had "had an operation." She did not elaborate.

"He told me that if my daughter wanted a child, she could marry again," Salmah said.

Salmah said she hoped Malaysian authorities would allow her to visit Noraliza.