KL detains alleged JI leader under ISA

KL detains alleged JI leader under ISA

MALAYSIA: Malaysia has detained a 38 year-old businessman alleged by authorities to be a leader of the regional militant group Jamaah Islamiyah (JI), a top security official and rights groups said on Monday.

"Yes, Khaidir bin Hadran is a JI leader. His arrest ties up loose ends. There are a few more out there. We are hunting them down," the security official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

The official said Khaidir was among the few JI leaders who had previously evaded arrest.

"Since he surfaced, we managed to nab him," he said.

Yap Swee Seng, spokesman of the rights group Voice of the Malaysian People (Suaram), confirmed that Khaidir was detained by police on Sunday in Temerloh, in the central Pahang state.

Yap said Khaidir was brought handcuffed to his wife's house in Gombak, just north of Kuala Lumpur, by about 20 plain clothes policemen who conducted a search of the residence Monday.

"I think police consider him as a JI suspect. He is said to know some of the JI detainees held under the Internal Security Act (ISA)," Yap said, referring to Malaysia's oft-criticized security legislation. -- AFP