Police seek terror suspect `Dr Azari' and three others
`Sabotage experts' linked to Hambali
Manop Thip-osod

Police have been told to watch for a terrorist suspect identified as Dr Azari, said to be a close aide of Hambali who was caught in Ayutthaya on Aug 11.

A police source said the matter was brought up at a meeting of metropolitan police officers chaired by Pol Lt-Gen Damrongsak Nilkhuha yesterday.

According to a report brought to the meeting, following the capture of Hambali, a key member of the Jemaah Islamiyah terror group, four other members who accompanied him into Thailand managed to escape. The four were sabotage experts with links to the al-Qaeda terror group of Osama bin Laden. One of them was identified as Dr Azari.

``The report said these people might be hiding in Thailand or Malaysia,'' the source said.

Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra had been told and Thailand was working with Malaysia to find them, the source said.

Malaysia had asked Thailand to look for eight members of the Kampulan Mujahideen Malaysia, a terrorist group, who might be operating in Thailand.

Pictures of the eight KMM members have also been sent to police. The KMM is believed to have links with the JI.

Pol Lt-Gen Damrongsak said police had been deployed at locations which they believed could be targeted for terror attacks, based on information given by Hambali under questioning.