Deputy leader of the banned Algeria Islamic Salvation Army (AIS) Abbasi al-Madani ( photo ) arrived in Malaysia last Saturday and is scheduled to give a public lecture at the International Islamic University (IIU) in Kuala Lumpur tomorrow, claimed a foreign journalist today.

News network Al-Jazeera 's Malaysia correspondent Sohaib Jassin today said he met Abbasi when he arrived on Saturday and it was broadcast live on the Arab network.

He was reacting to a Bernama news report today which quoted Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar as denying that the AIS leader was in the country.

The Algerian government banned AIS when it was found to be involved in militant activities in the 1990s. Abbasi, who spent nearly 10 years in detention, was released this June.

His release came during a period of relative calm in an insurgency which has left 120,000 civilians, security forces and Islamic insurgents dead.

The fundamentalist Islamic Salvation Front - whose armed wing is AIS - was poised to win the 1992 parliamentary election, but it was suspended by the country's military.

This triggered a bloody Islamic insurgency marked by massacres and beheadings, which continues to this day.

"We had a live telecast of him in Kuala Lumpur. He arrived at 11am on Saturday ... and he is scheduled to give public lectures in IIU tomorrow.

"I don't understand why the minister says he is not here," said Sohaib when contacted.

Asked whether Abbasi is here to seek medical treatment, the journalist replied: "I was made to understand that he is looking for some sort of medical operation here...but I do not what it is..."

No information

Meanwhile in the Bernama report, Syed Hamid said if there was any information regarding Abbasi's presence here, the Algerians would have contacted the Malaysian authorities.

"If they do not want anybody that they consider a threat to their security and is involved in terrorist activities, why should we have the person in Malaysia even for medical treatment.

"No (he's not in Malaysia)," stressed the minister.

Elaborating, he said if Algerian authorities had information that there was a criminal element from their country coming to Malaysia, then they should forward the information and Malaysia would take the necessary action.

"But I cannot speculate purely on media reports of such a likelihood that a person is getting medical treatment here.

"We do not admit foreign nationals into our country unless the government (in this case Algeria) gave us the green light," he added.

According to Syed Hamid, Malaysia in the past has rejected applications for medical treatment even after the person obtained the go-ahead from his or her respective government.

Officials at the Algerian embassy in Kuala Lumpur were not available for comments.