Top terror suspect who fled Singapore arrested in Malaysia

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
A top Islamic terror suspect who escaped from a high-security jail in Singapore last year has been arrested in Malaysia, an official said Friday, ending a massive manhunt for the man accused of plotting to crash a hijacked plane into Singapore. Mas Selamat Kastari, suspected commander of the Singapore arm of the al-Qaida-linked Jemaah Islamiyah, escaped from the jail on Feb. 27, 2008, by wriggling out a toilet window in a surprising security breach that sparked a massive manhunt. The search had largely focused on Singapore and neighboring Indonesia, where the Indonesian branch of Jemaah Islamiyah was thought likely to find him shelter. The group is accused of carrying out the 2002 bombings in Bali, Indonesia. However, he was arrested in Malaysia's southern Johor state bordering Singapore and is being interrogated by authorities there, said Walter Chia, a spokesman for the Singapore's embassy in Kuala Lumpur. "The arrest was made possible with the cooperation of the two countries," Chia told The Associated Press.