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Malaysian flag
Malaysia has released five men held under suspicion of
terrorism, including one believed to be linked to the September 11
attacks in the United States, the country's minister in charge of
security said.
Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar said a man linked to the Jemaah
Islamiah (JI) militant network had been freed on December 4 along
with two from a Thai separatist group and two Malaysians suspected
of working for foreign intelligence groups.
Syed told reporters at parliament he believed Malaysian Yazid
Sufaat, who police suspected had provided lodging for two of the
men who carried out the September 11, 2001 suicide airliner attacks
in the United States, was among them.
A Malaysian security source confirmed that Yazid, who was arrested
in December 2001, had been set free.
"They are no longer a threat but they will be watched closely,"
Syed said.
The Singapore Straits Times reported earlier that as many as a
dozen people linked to JI had been released following internment
under Malaysia's tough Internal Security Act, which allows
indefinite detention without trial.
Yazid had set up a pathology laboratory in Malaysia after
graduating from California State University in Sacramento in 1987
with a degree in biochemistry.
JI has been blamed for a series of bombing attacks around Southeast
Asia in recent years, including the nightclub attacks in Bali,
Indonesia that killed 202 people in October 2002.
Indonesia last month executed three men convicted in those attacks,
raising fears of possible reprisal attacks.
JI has been quiet lately, after an elite Indonesian force began
rounding up members and killing one of its top leaders.
The group's tactics have also been criticised by Muslims in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, who say their attacks have killed many Muslims and damaged the image of Islam.
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