MAS SELAMAT: Could he have attacked S'pore?

May 11, 2009

MAS SELAMAT CAPTURED

Could he have attacked S'pore?

By Sujin Thomas
		Experts say that Mas Selamat may have been planning to attack an 'iconic target'. Examples include the Singapore Flyer or prominent commercial buildings which form Singapore's skyline in the Central Business District. -- ST PHOTO: ALPHONSUS CHERN

THE disclosure that Mas Selamat Kastari was plotting against Singapore while on the run did not surprise terrorism experts but they doubt that he had gathered enough resources to launch a large-scale operation.

Ms Sidney Jones of the International Crisis Group, who has closely tracked extremist groups in the region, said a critical mass of people is key.

Fighting terror like fighting virus: SM Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong, who is warded in the Singapore General Hospital for chicken pox and is expected to be discharged later this week, commented in a statement yesterday on the re-arrest of Mas Selamat Kastari. 'Despite Mas Selamat's re-arrest, the threat of terrorism remains very real. The fact that he was able to swim away despite our tightened border security following his escape from Whitley Road Detention Centre shows that it is not impossible for a very determined and trained terrorist to enter or leave Singapore undetected. ... more Strong cooperation helped: George Yeo Comments by Foreign Affairs Minister George Yeo on the re-arrest of Mas Selamat. He spoke to reporters on the sidelines of Vesak Day celebrations at the Fo Guang Shan Buddhist centre in Punggol on Saturday. 'What is wonderful is the strong cooperation between the security forces in Malaysia and Singapore, because without strong cooperation and mutual trust, he would not have been recaptured. ... more

'You can't just carry out an attack by yourself, even for somebody who is a committed suicide bomber. You need people to do the surveying, to help prepare materials and to be lookouts.'

She added: 'So far, there isn't an example in the region of something that's worked with just two or three people. It would have been very hard.'

Dr Kumar Ramakrishna, head of the Centre of Excellence for National Security at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), said: 'Mas Selamat is a strategic personnel whose strengths lie in planning and training people in basic bomb-making and surveillance.

'But even with his ability, he may not be able to launch an attack if he does not have the manpower, money and support to do so.'

However, it is his nature to plan attacks while staying under the radar, said Dr Rohan Gunaratna, head of the International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research at RSIS.

'Even if he had limited resources, he is in touch with the Indonesian and Malaysian branches of Jemaah Islamiah and is an Al Qaeda-trained operator.'

Mas Selamat received help from two Malaysian friends who were ordinary JI members, after he escaped from Whitley Road Detention Centre on Feb 27 last year and escaped to Johor.

They gave him shelter for free for more than a year in a secluded kampung house in Skudai, Johor. All three were arrested on April 1.

http://forums.delphiforums.com/sunkopitiam/messages?msg=28568.118