Ex-ISA detainee Yazid held under security laws

Bukit Aman says that three people were arrested for allegedly recruiting others for terror activities.

(FMT) – Ex-ISA detainee Yazid Sufaat was today arrested under the new security laws for alleged terrorism. Two others were held with him.

The trio become the first persons to be arrested under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012, the law which replaced the preventive law, the Internal Security Act.

A team of police officers from Bukit Aman made the arrests.

Bukit Aman said in a statement that the three were involved in recruiting others for terror activities. It did not release the names of the detainees.

Human rights watchdog Suaram, however, identified Yazid and his worker Mohd Hilmi Ahsin as those being detained. It did not mention anything about the third arrest.

Suaram said Yazid and Mohd Hilmi were arrested at about 12.30pm today at the Jalan Duta High Court canteen. The canteen was operated by Yazid’s wife.

It added that the arresting officers had said that they were being arrested for “promoting terrorism”. No other details are available.

Yazid was previously held under the ISA in December 2001 following a crackdown on terrorism activities here after the al-Qaeda attacks on the US Twin Towers in New York earlier that year.

He was released in December 2008.

Suaram also stated that Yazid was taken to his house in Taman Bukit Ampang where the police conducted a thorough check. It is unclear if they took anything from Yazid’s house.

Under the new security law, Yazid and the two others can be detained for 48 hours, after which they should be allowed access to their lawyers.

It is not known where Yazid and the other two were held.

Suaram, meanwhile, criticised the detention of the trio under the new law, stating that everyone had a legal right to be brought to the court within 24 hours after the arrest.