(AFP) A man deemed a suspect in the Sept 11 terrorist attacks on the United States was allowed into Malaysia previously because he had no criminal records, a report said today.

Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said immigration authorities allowed him entry as there was no record on whether he was a suspected criminal.

"Many visitors come to our country. Many of them are from Saudi Arabia and the Middle East," he was quoted as saying by The Star newspaper.

His comments followed a US report that a suspect in the airliner which hit the Pentagon had been caught on a surveillance tape in Kuala Lumpur meeting a man linked to Islamic militant Osama bin Laden, the prime suspect behind the US attacks.

Newsweek magazine said suspect Khalid Al-Midhar met another man believed to have played a part in the attack on the warship USS Cole in the Yemeni port of Aden in October last year. It was unclear when the two met.

Abdullah, who is also the home affairs minister had earlier pledged cooperation with the United States and said Malaysia would not shelter groups engaging in terrorism irrespective of whether they were Malaysians or foreigners.