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Sandakan. Malaysia's biometric system is working well and was instrumental in nabbing Jemaah Islamiah (JI) sleeper agent Agus Salim, Malaysian home minister Hishammuddin Hussein said.

He said that because of the biometric system, the authorities were able to detect Agus, who was using an Indonesian passport with a false name to enter Malaysia.

Hishammuddin was answering questions on Sunday on the implementation of the biometric system that had caused massive traffic jams at the Causeway and the Second Link over the last two weekends.

Singaporeans and other foreigners who drive into Johor must get their fingerprints scanned, and this caused a bottleneck that lasted for up to seven hours for some travelers.

Mr Hishammuddin said there was no problem at airports and ports that use the system but that there were some hiccups at the Johor and Singapore entry points.

'The matter is being resolved,' he told reporters after attending a function in Sabah on Sunday, adding the system could go a long way to check criminals and terrorists trying to enter the country.

Hishammuddin did not say how Agus was caught using the false passport.

Agus, described as a 'sleeper agent' by the police, was arrested on June 6 in Johor, but it is not clear when he had entered Malaysia.

Working as a roti prata maker at a restaurant, his job was to wait for instructions to supply logistics and assist other JI members in Malaysia, media reports say.

The biometric system was introduced at 96 immigration and customs checkpoints on June 1, as part of a government effort to check cross-border crime involving foreigners.

According to the New Straits Times daily, Agus, 34, who is from Medan, was picked up by anti-terrorism officers at a restaurant in Johor Baru.

He had been first arrested under the Internal Security Act in March 2009 and was deported in May that year.

According to NST, he entered Malaysia again in November last year under the name 'Abdul Halim'. He reportedly used a genuine passport to take a flight from Medan to Bangkok. From Bangkok, he was reported by NST as having entered Malaysia by road, crossing the Thai border.

The Star/Asia News Network