Gov't mulls suing Newsweek magazine over terror claims

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The government may sue Newsweek magazine over a report that alleged Malaysia was a launchpad for the Sept 11 terrorist attacks on the United States, a minister said today.

Rais Yatim, minister in the prime minister's department in charge of legal affairs, was quoted by the official Bernama news agency as saying that he was studying the possibility of taking the US-based magazine to court.

"I've already collected the various articles churned out by this magazine and have requested the Attorney-General's Chambers to study them and come up with a report," he said.

Rais said action could also be taken against Newsweek under Printing Presses and Publications Act.

"I am confident that we can, using international, regional or national laws, see to it that stern action is taken (against the magazine) through the courts," he added.

Newsweek , in its Feb 4 edition, cited a secret Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) report as saying Malaysia was a "primary operational launchpad" for the terror attacks.

The report said US intelligence sources believe a former Malaysian army captain, Yazid Sufaat - who was a member of the Islamic extremist group Jemaah Islamiah - helped develop a support network for chief terror suspect Osama bin Laden in Malaysia and throughout Southeast Asia.

Yazid Sufaat is one of 23 alleged Islamic militants who have been detained under Internal Security Act in the past two months.

Police say they are members of a Kumpulan Mujahidin Malaysia which planned to topple the government.

Extreme view

On Monday Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad said in response to the Newsweek report: "As far as we know, there is no Malaysian connection in the attacks in the US."

Newsweek said Malaysian investigators discovered in December that Sufaat had ordered four tonnes of ammonium nitrate, a powerful explosive used in truck bombs.

Authorities believe Sufaat and his fellow Jemaah Islamiah radicals planned to blow up the US and Israeli embassies in Singapore, it said.

Rais said the cabinet had asked the home ministry's publications division to scrutinise the contents of other international magazines that allegedly claimed that Malaysia was a source of terrorism.

"We have been accused of being the launchpad for terrorism. This is an extreme view and the government is concerned over the stand of these magazines," he added, without naming any publications.

On Wednesday USA Today carried a report apparently quoting the same FBI document.



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