A MALAYSIAN police commando sentenced to hang in Kuala Lumpur for the murder of a pregnant Mongolian socialite has been detained in Queensland after Interpol issued a red notice for his arrest.
Immigration officials detained 43-year-old Sirul Azhar Umar in Brisbane, almost four months after he flew to Australia.
But Sirul's fate remains unclear, despite the fact that he has been convicted of shooting glamorous socialite Altantuya Shaariibuu twice in the head as she begged for the life of her unborn child, before wrapping her body in military explosives and blowing her up.
The Attorney-General's Department says Australia's extradition legislation does not allow a person to be surrendered to another country for an offence punishable by death unless the country has given Australia an undertaking that the death penalty will not be carried out.
Sirul's arrival in Perth has created a diplomatic dilemma for Australia as Prime Minister Tony Abbott and his senior ministers try to stop the executions in Indonesia of Bali Nine drug mules Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan.
Malaysia insists that Sirul be arrested and sent back to Kuala Lumpur, where the country's highest court has ordered that he and former police chief inspector Azilah Hadri, 38, be executed.
Both men were security guards for Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak when he was defence minister in 2006. At that time the remains of Ms Shaariibuu were found in jungle on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur.
The case involves allegations of high-level corruption and political intrigue linked to alleged irregularities in Malaysia's purchase of two submarines, which is the subject of a bribery investigation in France.
Ms Shaariibuu, who was a translator in the submarine deal, was linked romantically to Abdul Razak Baginda, a key figure in negotiating the deal who was a friend and policy adviser to Mr Najib.
Mr Baginda is believed to be living in Britain.
Mr Najib strongly denies ever meeting Ms Shaariibuu or having any link to her, and his government denies any wrongdoing in the submarine deal.
Malaysia's Home Minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar told the government news agency Bernama that Malaysia would consider bringing legal action against Australia if the country refuses to extradite Sirul, a father of two who claims he is a scapegoat in the case and denies involvement in the murder.
No motive for the murder of Ms Shaariibuu was ever established as the case against Sirul and Azilah struggled through Malaysia's courts for eight years.
The men were found guilty and ordered to be hanged in 2009, but the verdict was overturned on a technicality in 2013.
The guilty verdict was upheld by a five-judge panel of the Supreme Court in early January, with Sirul failing to appear.
Azilah is on death row while Malaysian immigration records show that Sirul flew to Australia in October. Asked whether authorities in Australia could find Sirul, Mr Wan Junaidi said: "Australia is not that large."
Mahfuz Omar, information officer for the opposition Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), said Sirul and Azilah should be given the opportunity to explain the motive behind Ms Shaariibuu's murder.
"The mastermind behind this heinous crime should be brought to justice," he said in a statement to Malaysian media, where the case has largely been taboo for years.
Immigration officials detained 43-year-old Sirul Azhar Umar in Brisbane, almost four months after he flew to Australia.
But Sirul's fate remains unclear, despite the fact that he has been convicted of shooting glamorous socialite Altantuya Shaariibuu twice in the head as she begged for the life of her unborn child, before wrapping her body in military explosives and blowing her up.
The Attorney-General's Department says Australia's extradition legislation does not allow a person to be surrendered to another country for an offence punishable by death unless the country has given Australia an undertaking that the death penalty will not be carried out.
Sirul's arrival in Perth has created a diplomatic dilemma for Australia as Prime Minister Tony Abbott and his senior ministers try to stop the executions in Indonesia of Bali Nine drug mules Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan.
Malaysia insists that Sirul be arrested and sent back to Kuala Lumpur, where the country's highest court has ordered that he and former police chief inspector Azilah Hadri, 38, be executed.
Both men were security guards for Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak when he was defence minister in 2006. At that time the remains of Ms Shaariibuu were found in jungle on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur.
The case involves allegations of high-level corruption and political intrigue linked to alleged irregularities in Malaysia's purchase of two submarines, which is the subject of a bribery investigation in France.
Ms Shaariibuu, who was a translator in the submarine deal, was linked romantically to Abdul Razak Baginda, a key figure in negotiating the deal who was a friend and policy adviser to Mr Najib.
Mr Baginda is believed to be living in Britain.
Mr Najib strongly denies ever meeting Ms Shaariibuu or having any link to her, and his government denies any wrongdoing in the submarine deal.
Malaysia's Home Minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar told the government news agency Bernama that Malaysia would consider bringing legal action against Australia if the country refuses to extradite Sirul, a father of two who claims he is a scapegoat in the case and denies involvement in the murder.
No motive for the murder of Ms Shaariibuu was ever established as the case against Sirul and Azilah struggled through Malaysia's courts for eight years.
The men were found guilty and ordered to be hanged in 2009, but the verdict was overturned on a technicality in 2013.
The guilty verdict was upheld by a five-judge panel of the Supreme Court in early January, with Sirul failing to appear.
Azilah is on death row while Malaysian immigration records show that Sirul flew to Australia in October. Asked whether authorities in Australia could find Sirul, Mr Wan Junaidi said: "Australia is not that large."
Mahfuz Omar, information officer for the opposition Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), said Sirul and Azilah should be given the opportunity to explain the motive behind Ms Shaariibuu's murder.
"The mastermind behind this heinous crime should be brought to justice," he said in a statement to Malaysian media, where the case has largely been taboo for years.
