The police today warned supporters of former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim they would be prevented from holding a planned mass rally at the airport to welcome him home on Sunday.

Anwar, who was released last month after six years in jail, is returning to Malaysia after back surgery in Germany followed by a pilgrimage to Mecca.

Selangor state police chief Mohd Fauzi Shaari warned that a mass gathering would not be allowed as no permit had been issued, the official Bernama news agency reported Friday.

"We know there are some supporters planning to organise such a gathering. If there is any undesirable incident, the organisers must be prepared to bear the responsibility and the risk," he said.

Mohd Fauzi was speaking after inspecting preparations to ensure order at the airport, including the erection of six roadblocks on the way to the terminal.

Those who had no business at the airport would be barred from approaching the terminal building, he said.

Anwar was released on Sept 2 when his conviction and nine-year jail sentence for sodomy were overturned by the country's highest court. He had already served a sentence for corruption.

He is barred from holding political office until 2008 under regulations governing convicted criminals, but the turnout of thousands to see him off to Germany last month showed that he still commands a wide following.