Home Minister Syed Hamid said Buhary Seyed Abu Tahir, or better known as BSA Tahir, had been detained under the ISA because intelligence findings had determined that he was connected with an illicit nuclear weapons network.

b s a tahir bsa tahir The minister also said Sri Lankan citizen Tahir ( photo ) had connections with Pakistani scientist Abdul Qadir Khan, who is known for catapulting Pakistan into a nuclear power.

"This network is also involved in developing the nuclear weapons for Iran and Libya," said Syed Hamid.

The minister told the Dewan Rakyat that investigations showed Tahir's actions posed a threat to national security and the country's economy.

He also said that Tahir was arrested because if the international network was not stopped, it would have exposed Malaysia to "breaching her obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and the resolutions of the United Nations relating to nuclear weapons proliferation".

"He had also made Malaysia as a place to produce centrifuge component units," he said when replying to Mukhriz Mahathir (BN-Jerlun) during question time.

"It can even cause economic sanctions to be imposed on Malaysia and harm bilateral relations with certain countries," he added.

Tahir was detained under Internal Security Act, which allows detention without trial, on June 2004.

According to the police, Tahir was the middleman who had gotten Scomi Precise Engineering (Scope) to manufacture a centrifuge components for use in Libya's uranium enrichment programme.

Scomi had denied any wrongdoing, stating that it was under the impression that the production was for petroleum and gas (plants) intended for Dubai.

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's son, Kamaluddin, is the largest shareholder of Scomi. Tahir was a former director of Kaspadu, a company owned by Kamaluddin.

Karpal gets into the act

A brief altercation occurred when Karpal Singh (DAP-Bukit Gelugor) demanded to know whether Tahir was given a chance to defend himself as provided for under Section 73 of the ISA before he was sent to Kamunting prison.

To Syed Hamid's answer that all ISA detainees have the right for a judicial review of their detention, Karpal said that was not the question he had asked.

"I said Section 73. Do you understand? Section 73!" said Karpal.

Following the heated verbal exchange, Syed Hamid finally said the government was satisfied that the action taken to detain Tahir followed the information that it obtained.

"Whether he appealed or not is another question. The Yang Berhormat (Karpal) has asked regarding a court (action), whereas this is a preventive act.

"For a preventive act, we take action based on the information that we have and we are satisfied that this person can be detained under the said act," said Syed Hamid.

The minister also said that he will review the case when Tahir's detention period expires and make his decision then.