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On Feb 27 this year, the 47-year-old escaped from the centre, sparking a nationwide manhunt. Yesterday, citing unnamed police sources, the Indonesian daily said that Noordin, a Malaysian, was seeking treatment in Tuban for liver disease, and police had traced him to his hideout and the clinic that he went to. But he dodged arrest. 'The doctor treating him confirmed that Noordin is suffering from liver disease,' said one of the sources quoted by the Post. The report added that the police had intensified security in East Java after tracing Noordin's whereabouts, especially following reports that Mas Selamat had sought refuge in the province. 'We believe Kastari would not be far from where Noordin is, but we are focusing more on Noordin because Kastari is wanted by the Singaporean police,' said the unnamed source. Besides his close ties with Noordin, Mas Selamat is also close to a number of JI figures and suspects involved in bomb attacks in Indonesia. These include Yazid, a JI member who received military training in Afghanistan, Indonesian JI figure Said Sungkar, Mukhlas, alias Ali Ghufron, and Abu Dujana. Mukhlas and Abu Dujana had previously helped provide for Mashadi, 16, Mas Selamat's eldest son who studied at the Al Mutaqqin Islamic boarding school in Sowan village in Jepara, Central Java. The Jakarta Post quoted another source as saying that Mashadi is still studying at the school from which Dzulkarnain, alias Ustaz Daud Abu Rusdan, JI's chief of army, graduated. But, the school's spokesman Hasyim As'ari denied the charge. 'My students, totalling 900 or so, are mostly orphans and come from poor families outside Java. There is no problems with their identities,' he said. Mr Bambang Haryono, 43, a motorcycle repair workshop owner in Malang who had previously employed Mas Selamat at his workshop, also told the Jakarta Post that he had no special relationship with Mas Selamat, who called himself Salim. 'I didn't even know he was a fugitive being pursued by the Singapore police,' said Mr Bambang. 'At the time, I was helping him find a job and, during his stint at my place, he received only meals for his work.' He added that he and Mas Selamat became acquainted at the Sudirman Mosque in Malang. 'Kastari didn't say much about his background,' said Mr Bambang. 'He was keen on speaking about automotive matters in his Malay accent because he used to work in a workshop in Singapore.'
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