Mas Selamat Kastari (born 23 January 1961) is an Indonesian-born Singaporean who was, for more than a year, Singapore's most-wanted fugitive after escaping from detention on 27 February 2008. The search for him has been described as the largest manhunt ever launched in Singapore.Mas Selamat can hold out indefinitely: experts, ST, 4 March 2008 He was eventually recaptured in Skudai, Malaysia, on 1 April 2009, over a year after his escape, and has since been returned to Singapore. His escape was found to be one of the events in Singapore's history that Singaporeans were most aware of, with 95% being aware of it.
In January 2006, Mas Selamat was arrested by Indonesian anti-terror squads in Java and deported to Singapore. He was suspected of plotting to bomb Singapore Changi Airport in January 2002, and, according to the Singapore Police Force, he had initially planned to do so by crashing a plane into the airport. However, Mas Selamat has never been formally charged with any terrorism-related offences; instead, he was detained under the country's Internal Security Act, which allows indefinite detention without trial.
Early life Born in 1961 in Kendal, Central Java, in Indonesia, Mas Selamat grew up in Kaki Bukit in Singapore leading a typical childhood kampung life. He attended the Kaki Bukit Primary School, and was known simply as "Selamat" to his neighbors. In the early 1980s, Mas Selamat moved to a flat in Bedok Reservoir where he married and had five children."Kampung boy, bus mechanic, bomb maker, wanted terrorist", Nur Dianah Suhaimi, The Sunday Times, 2 March 2008Fugitive hunt goes global , Leong Wee Keat & Rosnah Ahmad, Today, 1 March 2008Singapore widen hunt for inmate , Al Jazeera, 29 February 2008
Involvement with Jemaah Islamiah Mas Selamat is believed to have begun his involvement with Jemaah Islamiah (JI) in the 1990s upon joining Darul Islam, a precursor movement to the JI group. By 1992, he had joined the Singapore JI cell, and was sent to Afghanistan for training a year later. In 1998, he studied the Taliban system of government and returned home 'deeply impressed'.JI leader broke leg in Bintan jail break: terror expert , The Straits Times, 29 February 2008
According to Singapore intelligence authorities, Mas Selamat has met Hambali, the leader of JI, and discussed various terror plots including hijacking a plane from Bangkok and crashing it into Singapore Changi Airport.Interpol issues global alert for Singapore terror fugitive , Associated Press (International Herald Tribune), 29 February 2008 (Also see CNN )Qaeda Suspect Escapes , The New York Times, 28 February 2008 He escaped from Singapore in 2001 before authorities conducted a massive operation to arrest 13 suspected JI members in December 2001.
Arrests Mas Selamat had earlier been arrested in February 2003 in the island of Bintan, Indonesia, to assist Indonesian police in their investigations of several bombings in Indonesia in 2001 and 2002. Mas Selamat had changed his identity, assuming the name of Edi Heriyanto and obtained an Indonesian passport. Found in his possession was literature on making bombs and the virtue of suicide. He was jailed for 18 months in 2003 for immigration offences. He was, however, not handed over to Singapore upon his release, since Indonesia and Singapore did not yet have an extradition treaty. During this period of imprisonment, he broke his left leg in a botched attempt to escape when he jumped from a high floor, resulting in him walking with a permanent limp.
On 20 January 2006, he was arrested again for using a fake identity card in Java, where he was visiting his son who was said to be studying at a religious school there. Singapore requested Mas Selamat's extradition and was handed over on 3 February 2006, being detained in Singapore under the Internal Security Act without trial. The Malaysian intelligence authorities also wanted to question Mas Selamat who had made frequent visits to Johor before fleeing to Indonesia.
Escape in February 2008
At 4:05 pm on Wednesday, 27 February 2008, the JI leader escaped from the Internal Security Department's Whitley Road Detention Centre where he was being detained.Massive manhunt for escaped JI terror leader , The Straits Times, 27 February 2008 His family were visiting him at the time, and he was being led to a room to meet them when he asked to go to the toilet. He then fled.JI leader escaped from toilet in detention centre due to 'security lapse' , Chong Chee Kin, The Straits Times, 28 February 2008Singapore: Terror suspect fled toilet , Associated Press (CNN), 28 February 2008 A massive manhunt comprising personnel from the Singapore Police Force, the Gurkha Contingent, the Singapore Armed Forces, the Police Tactical Unit and the Police National Service Key Installation Protection Unit were deployed in the vicinity of the area immediately after the escape. They were later aided by members of the Singapore Guards and the Singapore Armed Forces Military Police Command, before the operation was wound down over 17 hours later without success in locating the fugitive, who was believed to be unarmed.Ministry of Home Affairs – Ministry of Home Affairs News Release on Mas Selamat bin Kastari
Authorities said security was very tight at the detention centre and conducted an independent study to determine how the fugitive escaped. Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng acknowledged that a security lapse led to his escape, and that everything was being done to recapture Mas Selamat. The Onraet Road facility has armed guards, high wire fences and CCTV cameras. Reactions to the escape were filled with surprise and disbelief in what Western observers describe as a country where "security breaches are virtually unheard of".Escape of JI leader: How can this happen in S'pore? , The Straits Times, 28 February 2008Escape makes headlines overseas , Mavis Toh, The Straits Times, 2 March 2008 It brought serious embarrassment to the Singapore government,Singapore gov't butt of jokes after prison escape , Agence France-Presse, 3 March 2008Dangers of a bunker mentality , P N Balji, Today, 3 March 2008 and many questions raised by the public and the press. Security around the schools in the area was also beefed up to assure worried parents.SCGS steps up checks, security , Lee Pei Qi & Teh Joo Lin, The Straits Times, 28 February 2008Where is Mas Selamat? , Alicia Wong & Rosnah Ahmad, Today, 29 February 2008 Indonesia and Malaysia announced that they stepped up their own border security in the wake of this incident.Indonesia joins hunt for S'pore terror fugitive , The Straits Times, 28 February 2008M'sian police tighten border security with S'pore , The Straits Times, 28 February 2008 Government authorities received more than 1100 calls on sightings of Mas Selamat. The earliest sighting of him was in a back road near MacRitchie Reservoir leading to Toa Payoh Lorong 1, right behind Braddell View Estates.
An urgent worldwide security alert, or Orange Notice, was issued by INTERPOL to each of its 186 National Central Bureaus following a request from Singapore.INTERPOL issues global alert for suspected terror leader following escape from Singapore jail, INTERPOL, 28 February 2008Interpol Alert Follows Suspect Escape, Gillian Wong, Associated Press (The Washington Post), 29 February 2008Interpol issues alert for escaped JI militant , Reuters (The Age), 29 February 2008 The alert was later changed to red.Mas Selamat acted alone, still in S'pore: police, ST, 2 March 2008
Wanted posters of Mas Selamat were put up in shopping centers, buses, train stations, and schools islandwide to appeal for the public to inform police should they spot him, and leaflets given out by volunteers to members of the public. The three telecommunications companies in Singapore sent out Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) messages starting on 1 March 2008 to all 5.5 million subscribers with Mas Selamat's photograph, as well as email messages to SingNet Internet users.The face that launched 5.5 million cellphone alerts , Ben Nadarajan, The Straits Times, 2 March 2008 The MMS read, "Please call 999 immediately if you see Mas Selamat bin Kastari. He is short (1.58m tall) and limps on his left leg. Thank you." Lockdowns at border and immigration checkpoints also resulted in much longer queues for people leaving Singapore.
There were conflicting reports on the whereabouts of Mas Selamat. While Singaporean police initially believed that he remained in Singapore,JI terrorist Mas Selamat still in S'pore: police , The Straits Times, 2 March 2008 others such as Malaysia's The Star reported that he may have fled to Indonesia via a speedboat ride.Mas Selamat is said to know islands well, Interpol issues worldwide alert , Eddie Chua, The Star (Malaysia), 1 March 2008
On 21 July 2008, a cash reward of one million dollars was offered for information leading to the apprehension of Mas Selamat. The million dollar reward was put up by two private individuals who had approached the Home Affairs Ministry, wishing to remain anonymous.
Public reaction
Agence France-Presse noted, "Terrorism is usually no laughing matter, especially not in security-conscious Singapore, but the escape from custody of a limping Islamist extremist suspect has led to scorn on the Internet." Online critics also accused the pro-government media of trying to downplay the incident and skirting key issues.Singapore faces blogging ire over militant escape , Reuters, 6 March 2008 Speculations and conspiracy theories abounded in Internet chatrooms and blogs, such as that Mas Selamat had died in detention or that he was purposefully let out in order to allow authorities to search for other terrorists."Mas Selamat wins in blame game", ST, 15 March 2008.
Criticism has been directed towards Wong Kan Seng, the Minister of Home Affairs in Singapore, with regards to the fact that news of Mas Selamat's escape was not disseminated to the public until four hours after its occurrence. The public were not given any details until the next day at a parliamentary session. Wong then had cited a serious security lapse as the reason for the escape and revealed that Mas Selamat escaped when he was being taken to the toilet before a meeting at the Family Visit Room.Security lapse led to escape of JI leader Mas Selamat, says DPM Wong, Channelnewsasia.com, 28 February 2008.
On 2 March 2008, it was announced that an independent Committee of Inquiry, chaired by former judge Goh Joon Seng, would be set up to find out how the escape occurred.
Accountability Nine individuals, including the commander and his superior holding a rank equivalent to brigadier general, were penalised for lapses that allowed Mas Selamat Kastari to escape from the Whitley Road detention centre. |Detention centre superintendent get the sack AsiaOne, 27 May 2008
Findings of investigation
On 21 April 2008, the only findings of the Committee of Inquiry were released in a Parliament of Singapore session. It was announced that he escaped through an unsecured bathroom window. The Committee attributed the escape to three critical factors – first, the lack of grilles where the window was located; second, Mas Selamat being allowed to close the toilet door on the guards, thus avoiding detection during his escape and third, a physical weakness at the perimeter fencing outside the visitation centre. , ChannelNewsAsia, 21 April 2008