Self-styled spiritual leader Ariffin Mohammad, better known as Ayah Pin, has not fled the country although several of his followers were arrested at their commune over the weekend.

"He is still in the country, we know where he is and the authorities will continue to track him down," Deputy Internal Security Minister Noh Omar ( right ) told a press conference at the Parliament lobby today.

However, he could not explain why "the authorities" have yet to act despite knowing his whereabouts.

Twenty-one of Ayah Pin's followers - 14 men and seven women aged between 30 and 60 - were arrested on Saturday evening at their remote commune located in Terengganu.

Ayah Pin ( left ), 65, himself managed to evade arrest but a woman believed to be his fourth wife, a police officer and a member of a popular rock group were among those picked up by state religious department officials accompanied by police personnel.

The Star reported today that they have since been released on a bond of RM1,000 each and are expected to be charged in the Besut Syariah Court on Sept 23.

Four were said to be in possession of documents contrary to Islam, while 17 allegedly disobeyed a fatwa (religious decree) which deems the sect as deviant.

"We have monitored the movement and its activities for a long time and we will continue to do so," Noh said, adding that no new arrests have been made.

He urged the state authorities to prosecute the followers, saying that they have yet to "repent" despite having received much advice and counselling.

"It has come to the stage where we must prosecute them," he said.

Fatwa issued

Noh said the National Fatwa Coucil had issued a decree against the sect on Dec 4, 1997 for humiliating Islamic teachings and has declared its teachings as deviationist.

To a question, Noh said the Internal Security Act, which allows for preventive detention, will not be invoked against the sect at the time being as religious laws were sufficient to contain its movement.

On the police officer who was arrested, Noh said the police will investigate this and act accordingly.

Under the Syariah Criminal Offences Act 2001, those found guilty are liable to a maximum fine of RM3,000 and/or a jail sentence of up to two years.

The sect has had run-ins with the authorities in the past, with four followers having been jailed for two years in 1998 for attempting to renounce Islam.

Earlier this year, the Besut district land office ordered the landowner where the commune is located to destroy several unusual structures built there over the years by May 28.

These include a 'teapot' which stands several metres high, a giant vase and an umbrella-like tower. The construction of the structures had allegedly breached the National Land Code.

Ayah Pin had previously argued that the design and use of the structures were intended to promote unity across religions.

A national threat

Meanwhil AFP reported that Islamic religious authorities in Terengganu has vowed to shut down the "deviant" sect, saying it was a threat to national security.

"The activities and teachings of Ayah Pin must be stopped. That is our goal," Muhammad Ramli Nuh, deputy chairman of Terengganu's Islamic development committee told AFP .

"From the religious point of view, they have tarnished Islam. The cult leader should be detained under the ISA. He is a threat to national security," he said.