|
Malaysia’s Mahathir Rejects Blame For WTC Attacks
By IOL correspondent Kazi Mahmood
Jakarta, Jan. 6 (IslamOnline) - Malaysia
should not be blamed for the September 11 attacks on the United States just
because the authorities here did not detain two suspected terrorists who were
reportedly seen in Kuala Lumpur, Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said Sunday.
He lashed out at Jane's
Defense Weekly for suggesting that the attacks would not have happened if
the duo had been picked up in January 2000.
“Are you saying that had
Boeing not made aeroplanes or that had pilots fallen ill with stomachache and
were unable to fly the planes, there would be no September 11 attacks?” he
said.
Khalid Al-Midhar and Nawaz
Al-Hazmi, both accused by the U.S., were in Malaysia between January 5 and
January 8, 2000. Zacaria Moussaoui, the only suspect brought to court in the
U.S. so far, also visited Bangkok, Thailand and Malaysia, according to Thai
sources.
Khalid was caught on a
surveillance tape which was handed over to the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency
(CIA). However, there is still confusion over the involvement of the FBI and the
CIA about the visit of the two suspected terrorists to Malaysia.
According to the article
in Jane’ Defense Weekly, “had Malaysia disrupted the Al-Qaida cell
visited by one of the suicide hijackers, Al-Qaida’s multiple attacks against
US targets on September 11 may have been prevented.”
Mahathir also lashed at
Singaporean newspaper, Berita Harian, which argued Malaysia should have
arrested the two suspects and that the attacks in the U.S. may have been
averted.
Jane’s Defense Weekly
also said both Malaysia and the US failed to arrest Khalid and that Malaysia
believed that by watching him, it would learn more about his associates.
An upset Mahathir told
reporters Saturday that such reports were intended to create problems.
He added that “we too
can hurl allegations like that.”
'When a person comes here
as a tourist, are we going to ask him 'Are you a terrorist?' Obviously he would
say 'no',” he said.
He said Malaysia regarded
visitors as tourists and would only arrest them if there was proof they were
terrorists.
It has now emerged that
Zacarias Moussaoui, the Frenchman who has been indicted in the US for his
involvement in the September 11 attacks, also visited Malaysia on two occasions
in September and October 2000.
Police are trying to
discover if he met or had any links with the 13 members of the Malaysian
Militant Group (KMM) who were arrested in the past month.
Announcing the arrests on
Friday, Inspector-General Tan Sri Norian Mai also brushed aside the suggestion
by Jane's that the police could have averted the attacks.
“The allegation is
baseless. Information on all their movements, activities, photographs, passports
and other details were handed over to the United States.”
Mahathir said other
countries were equally vulnerable to the possibility of being used as a
terrorist base.
“We do not know and
cannot recognize these people, just like the time when we fought against
communist insurgents who were traders and hawkers by day and terrorists by
night,” he said.
He stated the government
would continue to track down KMM members.
Malaysia arrested 13 men
between December 9, 2001 and last Thursday. They are believed to belong to the
KMM, which allegedly has links to Moussaoui.
Those arrested include
businessmen, a university lecturer, a teacher and headmaster, an accountant, a
bank officer and a taxi driver. They were arrested separately in Kuala Lumpur,
Kedah, Selangor and Johor. Their detention brings the number of KMM members
hauled in to 38.
No weapons were recovered
from the 13 men.
Singapore has also arrested 15 men believed to
have links with the al-Qaida.
|
