Malaysia to keep terror suspect

Mas Selamat was first arrested on immigration charges in 2003

A top Singaporean terrorism suspect recaptured in Malaysia last month will not be extradited for at least two years, Malaysia's prime minister says.

Mas Selamat Kastari is being held for two years under Malaysia's Internal Security Act, which allows indefinite detention without trial.

He is the suspected Singapore leader of Jemaah Islamiah, blamed for attacks including the 2002 Bali bombings.

He escaped through a toilet window at a high-security Singapore jail last year.

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak described him as a "threat to national security" and said he was being held for two years "to know more information".

Reports say he may be handed over to Singapore after the two-year period.

Manhunt

Jemaah Islamiah, which has links to al-Qaeda, is blamed for the bombings on the Indonesian island of Bali in 2002 which left 200 people dead.

Mas Selamat, a Singaporean citizen of Indonesian origin, is alleged to have plotted to crash a hijacked plane into Singapore's international airport.

Indonesian authorities arrested him on immigration violation charges in 2003.

He was handed over to Singapore in 2006 and detained in a high-security prison.

But he escaped in February 2008, managing to squeeze through the toilet window and climb over a fence while guards waited outside.

He evaded a massive manhunt and slipped into Malaysia by swimming across a narrow strip of sea that separates the two countries.

He was detained in a joint operation between Malaysia and Singapore in Malaysia's southern Johor state on 1 April.

Malaysian news agency Bernama said he will undergo a rehabilitation program while in detention, which includes debating with religious experts on Islam.