An Iranian national who was arrested in Malaysia for suspected involvement in a botched bomb plot in Thailand had been attempting to fly to Iran when he was detained, the government said Thursday.
The arrest Wednesday of Masoud Sedaghat Zadeh at Kuala Lumpur’s international airport showed Malaysia was “very serious and committed” to addressing the threat of terrorism, said Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein.
“The authorities of this country will never allow Malaysia to become a location, base, or transit point for terrorists or individuals who are wanted by any other country,” he said in a statement.
It gave no further details other than to confirm the 31-year-old suspect had fled to Malaysia on Tuesday and was suspected in the Thai incident.
Malaysia’s government and police have been tight-lipped about the case so far, citing an ongoing investigation, and have declined detailed comment on whether the Iranian suspect would be deported or charged in Malaysia. He was arrested over unspecified violations of Malaysian immigration rules, the government has said.
Two other Iranians have already been charged in Thailand in connection with Tuesday’s bomb incident, the third to shake world capitals in less than 24 hours.
Thai police say Israeli diplomats were the intended targets of the botched plot, prompting Israeli accusations that Iran was behind a terror campaign, which Tehran has denied.
One of the suspects had his legs blown off as he tried to hurl an explosive device at Thai police while fleeing after an apparently unintended explosion at a Bangkok house, officials said.
He was said to be in stable condition in a Bangkok hospital.
The other Iranian suspect was detained trying to board a flight out of Thailand.
