Mas Selamat Captured!

After about a year on the run, Singapore’s most wanted man has finally been captured. Mas Selamat is believed to have been captured on the first of April this year (perfect April fools’ joke).

Mas Selamat Kastari swam across the Straits of Johor using an 'improvised flotation device' in his dash to freedom soon after his escape from Whitley Detention Centre on the 27th of February last year.

Mas Selamat in police custody

According to sources, Malaysian police closed in on him and shouted at him to give up, but Mas Selamat would not surrender so easily. He climbed to the second storey of the kampung house he was staying in and tried to escape. Police then kicked down the doors and brought him out with his hands cuffed behind his back and his head covered in a dark-blue checked sarong.

The house Mas Selamat was staying in

He was forced into a police vehicle and taken away from the place he was taking refuge in. He had been hiding in the secluded Kampung Tawakal near Skudai, Johor, and he was taken away early in the morning of 1st April.

His neighbour, Jamian Simin, recounted the drama that day.

The retired 70 year old was having coffee at the time when he heard the sounds of people running. He looked out of his window to find the capture of Singapore's most-wanted terrorist taking place before him. Before that, he had no clue about Mas Selamat's true identity. Neither did anyone in the village of about 100 people, it would appear, except for his landlord and wife.
In Kuala Lumpur, Malaysian Home Minister Hishamuddin Hussein on Friday confirmed that Mas Selamat has been captured and is being held under its Internal Security Act for interrogation.

A poster making fun of Mas Selamat’s ‘great escape’ last year

Mas Selamat’s capture ends one of the largest manhunts ever undertaken by Singapore and its neighbours for a terrorist on the run. He was tracked down based on intelligence provided by Singapore's Internal Security Department, and a joint operation by Malaysia and Singapore's security agencies. This eventually led to his arrest on April Fools’ Day.

Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kang Seng told Singaporeans to stay vigilant. He also said that they should not think that the threat of terrorism has receded with the arrest of Singapore’s most wanted man for about a year. No date has been fixed to return Mas Selamat to Singapore.
'The Malaysian authorities want to interview him and we will let them do their job and when they feel it's time to send him back to us, we will be happy to receive him back,' Mr Wong said. He added that the arrest is the result of the strong co-operation between security agencies on both sides. Intelligence leads provided by Singapore's Internal Security Department late last year played a key role leading to the capture.

References:
http://photos-b.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v191/127/95/512224865/n512224865_329065_6093.jpg
http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_373899.html
http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_375559.html?vgnmr=1http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_374015.html