Osama bin Laden’s anthrax scientist freed by Malaysia
- Yazid Sufaat served a string of jail sentences for his work with both Islamic State and al-Qaeda
- The United States will ‘be very concerned’ at his release: expert
“He is only allowed to be in the vicinity of his home in Ampang [district] and must be inside his home from 8pm to 6am every day,” Ayob said.
Yazid has served a string of jail sentences for his involvement with the two terrorist networks. The former army captain, now aged 55, rose to notoriety when he was jailed in 2002 for his exploits in Kandahar, Afghanistan, where he was a leading figure in al-Qaeda’s push to develop weapons of mass destruction.
In January 2000 Yazid provided lodgings in his flat for al-Qaeda operatives who took part in a meeting in Kuala Lumpur of senior leaders from the group, including two September 11 hijackers, to discuss future terror plots.
He was released in 2010 but sent back to jail in 2013 for recruiting Islamic State members to fight in Syria. In 2017, he was again released, only to be rearrested shortly afterwards when it was discovered he had been recruiting fellow inmates for al-Qaeda while in jail.