An American terrorist suspect who is a foreign student at a local university has been arrested and will be deported to the United States, a report said today.

Ahmed Ibrahim Bilal, a US citizen, gave himself up to the authorities at the university where he was studying and has been handed over to the police, The Star newspaper reported.

Quoting unidentified sources, the paper said the official announcement of Bilal's arrest was being withheld pending an investigation into his contacts here.

Bilal was named by the US authorities Friday as one of six people charged with conspiring to wage war or jihad against the United States with Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda terror network and Afghanistan's ousted rulers, the Taliban.

Four of the six are in custody in the United States while Bilal, 24, and Habis Abdulla al Saoub, 36, were named as fugitives.

Bilal, who has reportedly been studying at the International Islamic University here since January, is said to have given himself up after hearing on CNN that he was a wanted man.

Shock and disbelief

Fellow students reacted with shock and disbelief when told that Bilal was a terror suspect. They described him as cheerful and friendly and "extremely religious with a deep knowledge of the Koran".

Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said yesterday that he had been informed that the United States had revoked Bilal's passport, which meant that the American was considered an illegal immigrant and Malaysia was prepared to deport him to the United States.

The suspects were charged on four counts: conspiracy to levy war against the United States; conspiracy to provide material support for foreign terror groups; conspiracy to contribute services to al-Qaeda and the Taliban; and possession of firearms.

Training in Afghanistan

The indictment says that following the attacks on the United States on Sept 11, 2001, the defendants acquired firearms and took part in weapons training and began to travel to Afghanistan to join Taliban and al-Qaeda troops battling US forces.

Malaysia has supported the US war on terrorism and has detained 63 alleged Islamic militants belonging to a group linked to Osama Bin Laden's al-Qaeda network. AFP