An alleged member of the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) militant group has been released from detention after being held without trial for almost eight years, police said today.

Police counter-terrorism unit director Mohamad Fuzi Harun said Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein had ordered the release of Shamsuddin Sulaiman, 40.

JI, a regional militant outfit linked to Al-Qaeda, has been blamed for major attacks including the 2002 Bali bombings.

Shamsuddin was detained in June 2002 under the Internal Security Act (ISA), which allows for indefinite detention without trial. Like other detainees before him, he is being released during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

E Nalini, spokesperson for the Abolish ISA Movement, welcomed Shamsuddin's release but demanded that all ISA detainees be freed.

"We condemn the government for being selective in the release of the detainees. There are 14 people being held under the ISA and four in police custody for alleged involvement with terror, document forgery and human trafficking activities," she said.

The country's controversial ISA has been used against alleged terrorists as well as government opponents in the past.

- AFP