[Straits Times] MALAYSIA has arrested three men who allegedly met a top Singaporean terror suspect in a bid to revive the activities of the regional militant network, Jemaah Islamiyah, a news report and a rights activist say.Police arrested the suspects in southern Johor state on June 25 under the Internal Security Act, which allows for indefinite detention without trial, said Nalini Elumalai, a representative of the Movement to Abolish the ISA.
The Star newspaper, quoting unidentified officials familiar with the investigation, said the three Malaysians were believed to have met with Mas Selamat Kastari, Jemaah Islamiyah's alleged former Singapore commander, who was also arrested in Johor on April 1.
Mas Selamat, a Singaporean citizen of Indonesian origin, is alleged to have plotted to hijack a plane and fly it into Singapore's international airport. He was caught by the Indonesian police in 2006 and handed over to Singapore.
The three detained were believed to be ordinary members of Jemaah Islamiyah who were attempting to revive the group's operations in Malaysia, the report said.
Malaysia has arrested dozens of Jemaah Islamiyah members over the past eight years. Authorities were investigating if the three men have recruited any new members recently, The Star's report added.
Malaysian Police Chief Musa Hassan declined to immediately comment, saying he was in a meeting. A Home Ministry official said he could not speak about the arrests.
Mas Selamat was arrested in Johor more than a year after he escaped from a high-security prison in neighbouring Singapore in February 2008 by wriggling out of a bathroom window.
Malaysia's government has said it will continue to hold Mas Selamat under the Internal Security Act to obtain more information about his activities.