Expulsion of 'JI leader' on hold

The Indonesians want to interview Mohamad about the Bali attacks

Malaysia has postponed the deportation of an alleged leader of the Jemaah Islamiah group that has been blamed for last year's Bali bombings.

Mohamad Iqbal Abdul Rahman was expected to walk free on his return to Indonesia on Sunday, as officials there say they have no grounds on which to arrest him.

He has been held without charge since 2001 under Malaysia's security laws.

Malaysian officials gave no reasons for keeping Mr Mohamad, 46. No new date for his deportation has been set.

Four months ago Mohamad Iqbal was handed over to immigration officers for deportation to his native Indonesia.

Mr Mohamad - who has been resident here for 18 years - had tried to challenge that decision through the courts.

Wife 'very sad'

Sunday's planned deportation was postponed at the very last minute without a warning.

Mr Mohamad's wife, Fatimah Zahrah Abdul Aziz, said she had learned about the decision after she had already checked in to board a Sunday morning flight from Kuala Lumpur to Jakarta.

She said airport officials at the check-in counter told her that her husband would not be joining her.

"I feel very sad and disappointed," she was quoted as saying by the Associated Press news agency.

"I had expected to be with my husband today."

No charges

The Indonesian authorities say they want to question Mr Mohamad in connection with the Christmas Eve bombings of three years ago and the attacks in Bali which killed 202 people.

However, they say they cannot hold him if there is insufficient evidence to charge him.

The United States, which has frozen Mr Mohamad's assets and designated him a "terrorist", has expressed concern that he may walk free.

Mr Mohamad spent years teaching at religious schools in Malaysia along with Abu Bakar Ba' asyir, said to be Jemaah Islamiah's spiritual leader, and its alleged former operations chief, known as Hambali.

Mr Ba'asyir has been cleared of charges of subversion and treason in Indonesia, but stands convicted of forging identity documents.

Hambali is being held by US authorities following his arrest in August in Thailand.