Kuala Lumpur, Nov 12: Thirteen detained Malaysian students were sent to Pakistan by their families to train for the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) terror network, a report said today. The students, held under a tough new security law, were all sent to Pakistan in 1999 and 2000 and were expected to spread the message of the al-Qaeda linked JI on their return, according to the Malay-language Utusan Malaysia.
"They were all sent to undergo teachings ... To become the next real cadre of JI," it quoted a police official as saying.
"Upon their return, they would have been used to spread the influence of JI in religious schools in Malaysia and Indonesia," he added.
The source also said many of the 13, whose families had established links with JI, had previously been sent for military training in Kashmir and Afghanistan.
The 13 are being held for interrogation by police under the Internal Security Act (ISA) which allows detention without trial after they were deported from Pakistan Monday.
The students, who were studying at two institutions in Karachi, were detained by Pakistan authorities in September on suspicion of being involved in militant activities.
Bureau Report