A Malaysian student has been detained in Iraq for nearly a month after being arrested by US troops while he was crossing into Syria on his way back to Malaysia, the student's mother and officials said on Tuesday.
Mohd Abdullah Osman, aged 35, a university student in Baghdad, was arrested along with 42 other people at the Iraq-Syrian border some four weeks ago, The Star said, quoting the student's mother.
A foreign ministry official confirmed that Mohd Abdullah was arrested in Iraq, but provided no details.
"We are still trying to find out why he was arrested and we will help the family to secure his release as soon as possible," the official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said.
The student’s mother said the Malaysian Embassy in Syria had informed her that it is in contact with US authorities to secure Mohd Abdullah's release.
"At the moment I am just worried for my son's safety as I've seen on television all those horrible things the prisoners undergo," the paper quoted her as saying.
Mohd Abdullah was one of three Malaysian students in Iraq who declined Kuala Lumpur's offer to be evacuated from the country shortly before the US-led war against Iraq started. He had told his parents that he wanted to remain in Iraq to complete his studies on Islamic teachings. (Albawaba.com)
© 2003 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
