Malaysian police trailing in Sabah two alleged masterminds of Bali bombings

Police are searching along eastern Malaysia's border with Indonesia for two fugitives believed to have masterminded this month's Bali bombings, a news report said Wednesday.

Malaysians Azahari Husin and Noordin Mohamad Top are wanted for a series of attacks in Indonesia, including the Oct. 1 blasts at three Bali restaurants that killed 23 people, including three bombers, and injured more than 100.

"We are on the lookout for Azahari Husin and Noordin Mohamad Top ... we are coordinating with the Indonesians," Sabah police commissioner Mangsor Ismail was quoted as saying by The Star newspaper.

Authorities are focusing their hunt for Azahari and Noordin alleged leaders of Southeast Asian terror group Jemaah Islamiyah along the border in eastern Sabah state on Borneo island, which Malaysia shares with Indonesia and Brunei.

Mangsor declined to comment when asked if the duo could have slipped into Sabah.

Mangsor and Sabah police could not immediately be reached for comment.

Azahari and Noodin fled Malaysia in 2001 amid a crackdown on Islamic militants and are also wanted in connection with the 2002 bombings on Bali that killed 202 people, as well as other attacks in Indonesia over the past three years.

Indonesian police say the two have escaped capture by renting cheap houses in densely populated areas and using nearby back alleys for quick escapes.

Police have bolstered patrols around embassies and tourist attractions in Malaysia following the Oct. 1 suicide attack in Bali.

The government has said there were no terrorist cells actively operating in Malaysia but pledged to step up vigilance to prevent any terrorists from infiltrating the country to plot attacks, reports the AP.

P.T.