Malaysia nabs 3rd Turkish man over 'national security'

By P. Prem Kumar

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AA) - Malaysian police confirmed Friday the detention of a former vice chair of a Turkish university for being a threat to national security, bringing the number of Turkish nationals detained in the country this week to three.

Ismet Ozcelik, who was sent to Sungai Buloh prison near Kuala Lumpur for 50 days last year, was taken back into custody on Thursday after the police categorized him as a security threat, Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar told a press conference in Kuala Lumpur.

Abu Bakar said the arrest was made at 4.30 p.m. local time (0830GMT) at a fuel station in eastern state of Pahang.

Ozcelik was detained in connection to activities threatening Malaysia's security, he added.

Asked if Ozcelik had been linked with Daesh or other terror groups, Bakar declined to give an answer.

"He was not involved in terror activities throughout his 12-year stay here before this. But when he began to get involved, we [police] acted.

"Prior to this, he also caused trouble in the immigration department. We have enough reasons to take action against him [now]," Bakar stressed.

The police chief denied that his department had acted on the Turkish government's orders in arresting Ozcelik and two other Turkish nationals, Turgay Karaman and Ihsan Aslan, who were arrested late Tuesday for "activities threatening [Malaysia’s] national security".

"We have our own laws to protect national security. We have the right to determine who we want to arrest and detain.

"Anyone who threatens our national security is not welcome here," Bakar said.

Karaman and Aslan were detained Wednesday under the Security Offenses (Special Measures) Act 2012 (Sosma) - which allows for detention of suspects without trial.

Ozcelik was arrested on Dec. 13, 2016, after he allegedly stopped some immigration officers -- reportedly in plainclothes -- from checking his passport at his son's residence in Kuala Lumpur.

After the arrest, he was detained for 50 days with multiple bail requests getting quashed by a lower Malaysian court.

Ismet was released on Jan. 31, 2017, after he managed to secure UN refugee status, which provided him with immunity against detention without trial.

Ozcelik used to work as the vice chair of a university in Turkey before he was fired from his job.

Karaman and Aslan are believed to be linked to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization, or FETO.

FETO and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen are accused of orchestrating the defeated July 2016 coup in Turkey, which left 249 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.

Ankara has said FETO is also behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary, and has also accused it of infiltrating other countries through educational institutions, among others.