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Terror Suspect in Malaysia Not Indonesian Citizen
Farouk Arnaz | June 09, 2011

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A businessman recently arrested in Malaysia for allegedly recruiting for a terror group is no longer an Indonesian citizen, contrary to media reports, the National Police said on Thursday.

“We would like to clarify that Abdul Haris Syuhadi is in fact a [naturalized] Malaysian citizen,” said Insp. Gen. Anton Bachrul Alam, a spokesman for the force.

Haris, 63, was arrested at his home in Malaysia’s Selangor state over the weekend. Authorities accused him of recruiting members for the Al Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiyah and Islamist militia Darul Islam.

Anton said the suspect had been a foreign “envoy” of DI and was linked to JI activities in the Klang region, where Haris had been living since 1981.

A former member of both groups confirmed on Thursday that Haris had held the post of foreign minister under DI.

“[I knew him when] I lived in Malaysia for several years before going for military training in Afghanistan,” said Tato Jibreng Sugiarto, alias Kohar.

But he said Haris, a garment trader, had “never taken part in any kind of armed training.”

“It’s still very bad news that he got caught,” Kohar told the Jakarta Globe. “He’s a very well-respected cleric in Malaysia.”

Malaysian Police Chief Ismail Omar had announced Haris’s arrest on Tuesday, saying the suspect had been under surveillance for “spreading JI ideology.”

“I believe his activities can endanger national security and we will take appropriate action,” Ismail had said.

 

Additional reporting byAgence France-Presse