Malaysia deports alleged Jemaah Islamiyah leader to Indonesia, his whereabouts unknown

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) _ Malaysia deported a suspected leader of the Jemaah Islamiyah terrorist group to Indonesia on Friday, and his whereabouts were unknown. <br/><br/>The surprise announcement

Friday, May 14th 2004, 6:02 am

By: News On 6

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) _ Malaysia deported a suspected leader of the Jemaah Islamiyah terrorist group to Indonesia on Friday, and his whereabouts were unknown.

The surprise announcement that Mohammad Iqbal Abdul Rahman had been sent back to his home country appears to resolve a dispute between Malaysia, which wanted to expel him because of alleged terrorist activity, and Indonesia, where authorities had previously said they had no reason to detain him.

It wasn't known if Iqbal was arrested in Indonesia. Badaruddin Ismail, a rights activists who has monitored Iqbal's case and maintains close contact with his wife in Kuala Lumpur and other relatives in Indonesia, said none of them had heard from Iqbal, even hours after his flight arrived in Jakarta.

``He has not been in touch with his relatives there, or his wife, we are afraid he might be held by the Indonesian side,'' Badaruddin told The Associated Press.

The deportation was announced in a High Court hearing, where lawyers and family members had expected him to appear to fight a government order withdrawing his Malaysian permanent residency status and declaring him an unwanted immigrant.

``I have instructions to inform this court that Mohamed Iqbal Abdul Rahman was deported from Malaysia this morning,'' government lawyer Fadzillah Begum told the court. ``He was deported to Jakarta.''

Malaysian authorities announced last August they would deport Iqbal, 2 1/2 years after he was arrested under a security law that allows for indefinite detention without trial for allegedly fomenting Islamic extremism.

But the plans were thrown into disarray when Indonesia said it had no evidence against Iqbal, raising the possibility that he could walk free if he was repatriated.

Officials allege Iqbal was a close associate of Jemaah Islamiyah's alleged spiritual leader, Abu Bakar Bashir, and of al-Qaida's alleged operations chief in Southeast Asia, Riduan Isamuddin, better known as Hambali. Iqbal denies any link to the group.

Hambali is accused of masterminding last year's nightclub bombings on Indonesia's Bali island that killed 202 people, last year's bombing of the J.W. Marriott hotel in Jakarta, and other deadly attacks. He is in U.S. custody.

The U.S. State Department last January designated Iqbal a terrorist and called him Jemaah Islamiyah's ``primary recruiter and second in command.''