The Kuala Lumpur High Court has postponed the hearing of a habeas corpus application by alleged Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) leader Mohamad Iqbal Abdul Rahman challenging his detention under the Immigration Act.

According to human rights group, the Anti-ISA Movement (AIM), Justice Abdul Kadir Musa allowed the postponement to April 30 on application by deputy public prosecutor Noor Bahari. The court will hear preliminary arguments on that date.

Noor told the court that due to the recent cabinet reshuffle, Internal Security Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi (who is also the prime minister) could not affirm an affidavit, AIM said in a statement today.

Mohd Iqbal's counsel Amer Hamzah Arshad questioned the grounds of the postponement, saying that the previous hearing on March 13 had also been postponed on grounds that then Home Affairs Minister Abdullah was unable to affirm the affidavit due to the 2004 general election.

Abdul Kadir set May 7 for the full hearing, which will involve submission of the minister's affidavit.

Mohamad Iqbal ( photo ), 46, was arrested in June 2001 on suspicion of being involved in terrorism activities and held for two years under the Internal Security Act.

Held in Terengganu

The Indonesian preacher and permanent resident of Malaysia was released last August but the Immigration Department revoked his permanent resident status and immediately arrested him pending deportation to Indonesia.

Currently held at the Ajil immigration detention centre in Terengganu, Mohamad Iqbal is suspected of being a senior member of JI, which has been blamed for a series of violent attacks around the region.

He then filed an application to quash the home affairs minister's declaration that he is an undesirable person and a prohibited immigrant.

Indonesia has said it would question Mohamad Iqbal on his possible links to terrorism if he is sent back.