Malaysian man cleared of terror links

Malaysian national, Azmi Salleh, 42, arrested for carrying 104 passports, was a visa-fixer and not a terrorist with links to the Al Qaida network of Osama bin Laden, said Immigrations Chief Andrea Domingo.

"He will be deported to Malaysia and will be blacklisted in the Philippines," said Domingo, adding the Malaysian national was freed because the charges that he was a terrorist were not proven.

"After a thorough investigation, it turned out that he was a travel agent arranging for visas for a group of Malaysian pilgrims to Holy Makkah," Domingo said.

He was trying to circumvent regulations that limit visas for Saudi Arabia to only one per cent of population per country, prompting him to arrange visas for his Malaysian clients from the Philippines, said another source.

Salleh claimed he was a travel agent arranging visas when arrested.

"At the same time, he admitted that Osama bin Laden was his idol, and he said there was nothing wrong with that since he was not involved in any of the activities of bin Laden's Al Qaida network," said Domingo.

Salleh was also blacklisted for having violated a Philippine customs law, which prevents anyone carrying more than $ 10,000 out of the country.

He was arrested so that the authorities could determine if he had any links to terrorist outfits in Southeast Asia, or linked to bin Laden's Al Qaeda network, officers earlier said when they prevented Salleh from boarding a Kuwaiti Airlines plane bound for Bangkok.

The authorities tightened security in all Philippine air and seaports to thwart any possible terrorist attacks.

The arrest of Fatur Al Ghozi in Manila's Quiapo district last January lessens the probability of terrorists coming into the country, said Domingo, adding the arrest would hinder the possibility of the Philippines being used as a staging base for terrorists like the Al Qaida organisation.