Hasan is Singapore national, embassy consul confirms

Theresia Sufa, The Jakarta Post, Bogor

The Singaporean Embassy in Jakarta confirmed that a man who possesses both Singaporean and Indonesian passports is one of its citizens.

Masni Hasan alias Isnin Hasan is currently in the custody of Bogor Police.

Head of the supervision division at the Bogor Immigration Office Wan Adriansyah said on Thursday that a Singaporean consular officer Mejar Singh Gill had met with Hasan during interrogation.

"The consular official confirmed that Masni Hasan is a Singaporean national. He also said that his country will not intervene in any legal process against Hasan if he was involved in any crime in Indonesia," Adriansyah said on Thursday.

Quoting Mejar Singh, Adriansyah said that the Singaporean government would cooperate with Indonesia if Hasan was deported to Singapore.

Hasan, who speaks with a heavy Malay accent, was arrested by Bogor Police on Tuesday, following a report by suspicious residents concerning the newcomer's citizenship.

Hasan moved to the area a month ago from the neighboring district of Parungkuda.

Police had earlier encouraged residents to watch over newcomers following the Oct. 1 bomb attacks in Bali, which were blamed on the group led by two Malaysian fugitives Azahari Husin and Noordin Moh Top.

The group is said to be responsible for a string of terrorist attacks around the country.

Hasan claimed he was an Indonesian born in Banten but was raised in Medan, North Sumatra. After living on Batam for several years, he and his wife moved to Bogor.

The police suspect that the man's school and marriage certificates are fake.

Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Firman Gani said on Wednesday that after the Bali bomb attacks that killed 22 people and injured over 130 others, the terrorists may have entered Jakarta to send a "louder" message, and it was presumed that they were hiding out in the outer areas of Jakarta.