Malaysia denies it harbors terrorists, blames Indonesians for militancy
Malaysia denies it harbors terrorists, blames Indonesians for militancy
Agencies, Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia on Thursday lashed out at a growing perception it is harboring terrorists, saying it was not a base for the al-Qaeda network and blaming Indonesians for inspiring Islamic militancy in the country.
The majority Muslim nation has been stung by reports that two Malaysians played major roles in bomb attacks in Indonesia, blamed on the al-Qaeda-linked Jamaah Islamiyah (JI) network.
Two other Malaysians linked to the al-Qaeda were also believed be in U.S. custody at a secret location.
"We have been taking a lot of measures to make sure that the activities of these people will not create instability or a threat to our security," Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi told reporters.
"But it does not mean that the existence of these people, who are operating not just in Malaysia but elsewhere, has made Malaysia a country where the al-Qaeda is basing its operations. Nothing of that sort."
Abdullah was asked about the naming of Malaysians in connection with several operations involving the JI extremist network in past weeks.
These included the deadly Aug. 5 bombing of the JW Marriott Hotel in Jakarta and the arrest of top terror suspect Hambali in Thailand last week.
Indonesian-born Hambali is regarded as al-Qaeda's point man in Asia and the mastermind of a string devastating bombings. He is now in U.S. custody in a secret location.
He was among Indonesian religious radicals who came to Malaysia in the late 1980s and set about building JI from an Islamic school in the southern state of Johor.
By mid-2001, cells were established in Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and the Philippines.
The network was exposed by authorities in Malaysia and Singapore in late 2001, when dozens of suspects were detained in raids and a plot to bomb Western embassies and other targets in the island republic foiled.
Abdullah, who is also home minister, said it was Indonesians staying in Malaysia who nurtured local Muslim militants and established terror groups in the country.
"I noticed that their activities have been very much inspired by the Indonesians who are here on permanent stay permits. They are the ones who started all this," he said.
Alleged JI chief Abu Bakar Ba'asyir, who is on trial for treason in Jakarta, and JI operations chief Hambali, who was captured in Thailand last week and taken into U.S. custody, lived in exile in Malaysia during the rule of ex-Indonesian dictator Soeharto.
Abdullah said the Luqmanul Hakiem religious school in southern Johor state, founded by Indonesian cleric Ba'asyir, has been closed down.
"We do not harbor terrorists... we are fighting terrorists, they must study our record. We have been mounting our operations against them. We are doing as best as we can," he added.
Indonesian police on Tuesday accused Malaysians Azahari Husin and Noordin Muhammad Top of involvement at a senior level in last year's Bali blasts which killed 202 people and this month's attack on the Marriott.
Azahari, a former university professor, was said to be the bombmaker while Noordin was allegedly the overall "controller" of the Jakarta bombing.
On reports that Azahari was named as a possible successor to Hambali, Abdullah said this could be "just a matter of guess" but Malaysia was cooperating closely with Indonesia and other neighbors to eliminate the JI structure in the region.
A senior Malaysian security official told AFP on Wednesday that the two men were among the last four on a most-wanted list of nine issued last year, and their capture would wipe out the JI leadership in the country.
He named the other two as Zulkiifli Marzuki, describing him as a member of the Malaysian JI "think tank", and Zulkifli Hir. The five who have been captured are held either in Malaysia or Indonesia, he said.
More than 70 Islamic militants, many of them allegedly JI members, are already in detention in Malaysia.