By Tan, Yee Lin written on 31-Oct-2009
National Library Board Singapore

Comments on article: InfopediaTalk

Mas Selamat bin Kastari (b. 23 January 1961, Kendal, Java, Indonesia - ) was Singapore’s most wanted terrorist after he escaped from the Whitley Road Detention Centre (WRDC) on 27 February 2008. He was recaptured in a small village in Johor, Malaysia on 1 April, 2009. Authorities claim that Mas Selamat was the head of Jemaah Islamiyah’s (JI) Singapore branch and was the mastermind behind various terrorist plots in Singapore.

Early life
Mas Selamat was born in a province in Central Java, Indonesia. His family migrated to Kaki Bukit, Singapore when he was young. In the early 1980s, he moved to Bedok Reservoir. He subsequently married and had five children with his wife.

Terrorist connections
Mas Selamats involvement with JI first began in 1990 after he heard Indonesian cleric Abu Jibril preach. He subsequently joined Darul Islam, the precursor of JI before becoming a member of the Singapore JI cell in 1992. Over the next five years, he visited Afghanistan twice, where he met JI chief Hambali.

Following a series of 13 arrests in December 2001 when the Singapore authorities tried to break up the local JI network, Mas Selamat and his family fled Singapore and moved around Malaysia, southern Thailand and Indonesia. He was alleged to have plotted to hijack a plane to crash into Changi Airport and detonate seven bomb-laden trucks simultaneously in Singapore.

Early arrests
Mas Selamat was first arrested by Indonesian authorities in February 2003 in Tanjung Pinang, Bintan. During interrogations, he confessed that he had planned to overthrow the Singapore government. He was subsequently jailed for 18 months in Bintan for carrying false identification. He tried to escape detention twice. In a botched attempt in 2003, he jumped from a high floor and broke his left leg, resulting in a permanent limp. He was not deported to Singapore upon his release due to the lack of an extradition treaty between the two countries.

He was subsequently re-arrested in Java, Indonesia on 20 January 2006 on the same charge of carrying false identification papers. The Indonesian authorities deported him to Singapore where he was detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA) that allows detentions without trial.

Escape from Singapore
Mas Selamat escaped from the WRDC on 27 February 2008, sparking Singapore’s biggest and most expensive manhunt. A cash reward of S$1 million for information leading to his arrests was even offered by private citizens.

He escaped during one of his weekly visits with his wife and children. As prisoners were allowed to wear civilian clothes during the visits, he had requested for privacy as he changed his clothes. He then left the water running in the washroom and hung a pair of pants over a ledge above the cubicle door to mislead the guards. He squeezed through a bathroom window, climbed down a drainpipe, climbed over a fence and escaped.

He reached Woodlands on the night of the fourth day after his escape from the WRDC and swam more than 1.1 km across the Tebrau Strait to Johor Bahru using an improvised flotation device. Once in Johor, he met Abdul Matin Anol Rahmat and Johar Hasan. He was staying with the latter when he was re-arrested.

Arrest in Malaysia
The Malaysian Special Branch arrested Mas Selamat on 1 April 2009 in Kampong Tawakal, a small village in Johor, together with his landlord, Johar, and his landlord’s wife. He is currently detained under Malaysia's Internal Security Act that allows indefinite detention without trial for two years. Malaysian news agency Bernama claims that he is held at the Kamunting detention centre in Malaysia's north with other ISA detainees.



Author
Tan Yee Lin



References
Beh, L Y. (2009, May 8). Singapore's most wanted man recaptured in Malaysia. AFP. Retrieved June 12, 2009, from Factiva.

Confluence of factors made escape possible. (2008, April 22). The Straits Times, Retrieved June 12, 2009, from Factiva.

Feb 27, 2008: 'A costly and painful wake-up call'. (2008, April 22). The Straits Times, Retrieved June 12, 2009, from Factiva.

Hunt, L. (2009, May 17). Crowing over crumbs. Bangkok Post. Retrieved June 12, 2009, from Factiva.

Indonesian police grill alleged Singapore head of terror network. (2003, February 4). AFP. Retrieved June 12, 2009, from Factiva.

Malaysia detains Singapore militant for two years. (2009, May 27). AFP. Retrieved June 12, 2009, from Factiva.

Militant leader in Singapore's custody after deportation by Indonesia. (2006, February 6). Associated Press Newswires. Retrieved June 12, 2009, from Factiva.

Mydans, Seth. (2009, May 9). Escaped terror suspect's capture reported Fugitive had slipped from a prison washroom in Singapore last year. International Herald Tribune. Retrieved June 12, 2009, from Factiva.

S$1 million reward for fugitive Mas Selamat. (2008, July 21). Bernama Daily Malaysian News. Retrieved June 12, 2009, from Factiva.

Saripi, N I. (2009, May 14). Spot Report on Mas Selamat Arrested. Retrieved June 12, 2009, from National Technological University, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorist Research, website: http://www.pvtr.org/pdf/GlobalAnalysis/MasSelamatKastari%27sArrest.pdf

SingaporeSuhaimi, N D. (2008, March 2). Kampung boy, bus mechanic, bomb maker, wanted terrorist. The Straits Times. Retrieved June 12, 2009, from Factiva.


Further readings
Mas Selamats Escape. (2009, June 14). The Straits Times. Retrieved June 12, 2009 from http://www.straitstimes.com/STI/STIMEDIA/sp/ms/



The information in this article is valid as at 2009 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic. 'terror leader' captured. (2009, May 8). Al Jazeera English. Retrieved June 12, 2009, from Factiva.