PETALING JAYA: Australia has increased security measures for Sirul Azhar Umar, the former police commando convicted in the Altantuya murder case, according to a news report.
The report said that Sirul Azhar had been placed in solitary confinement and his visitors subjected to full security screenings by senior Australian Border Force officials.
It said the "extraordinary measures come amid fears Sirul Azhar — who has applied for a protection visa — could be subjected to harm or threats from Malaysia’s Special Branch intelligence agency."
Videos of Sirul Azhar had been released in the past few weeks repudiating previous allegations regarding his case, including that Altantuya had been pregnant when she died.
The report said Australian officials believed that the videos were recorded before Sirul Azhar’s arrival at the Villawood Immigration Detention Centre in Sydney.
In January last year, the Federal Court sentenced Sirul Azhar and former Special Action Unit personnel Azilah Hadri to death for the murder of Mongolian national Altantuya Shaariibuu in 2006, though Sirul Azhar had escaped to Australia.
He was detained on Jan 20 last year by Australian immigration after Interpol issued a red notice, and held at Villawood.
.jpg)
