The wife of secondary school teacher Bakar Baba has denied that he had been an informant to the police special branch before being detained last November under the Internal Security Act (ISA).

Correcting a Malaysiakini report , Zahorna Abdul Razak said that what her husband had meant in saying he had “cooperated” with Tawau police, was that he had attended all “rehabilitation” programmes conducted by the police “terrorist department” since his first arrest in 2006.

“He attended the programme twice, once in 2008 and the second time in 2010, if I am not mistaken. The first one was at an office and the second one was at Marco Polo Hotel in Tawau, Sabah,” she said when contacted.

“These lasted several days and were also attended by others who had previously been arrested for involvement with alleged terror groups. The police have a list.”

Zahorna, who consulted her husband on the matter, said that, while the police had called up Bakar from time to time since 2006, her husband was no informant.

“They called him up occasionally to check on him, to ask him how he was,” she said.

azlan Bakar was never charged after his arrest in 2006, but was kept under police surveillance. Last November, he was detained under the ISA for alleged involvement with the Darul Islam group, a claim that he denies.

In June, he was sacked from his teaching job for allegedly contravening the Civil Servants Regulations (Conduct and Discipline) 1993 by going against the Agong and the government.

At the time of his second arrest, Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein was quoted by the New Straits Times as saying that Bakar and 12 others picked up at the same time were  most dangerous people in the region.

Three of them were released on Sept 17.

Currently, 30 detainees are being held under the ISA, although it has been replaced by the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012, which came into force on July 31.