Three men have been arrested in Thailand for being involved in arms trade with the LTTE and assisting the 9/11 terrorist attacks of the New York World Trade Centre in the United States.

Three men links to Al-Qaida & 9/11 too are identified as Mahammad Ali Hussien, Mahammad Madbahem, and Chubri Awae. They were arrested in a coordinated operation of the Armed Forces Security Centre, National Intelligence Agency, Royal Thai Police, and Department of Special Investigation (DSI).

The DSI director-general, Pol Col Tawee Sodsong said Mahammad Ali Hussien was the leader of a transnational criminal gang involving in trade of counterfeit official travel documents and arms trade with the LTTE. The man also provided counterfeit documents for members of the Al-Qaida group to conduct the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the United States, he added.

Mahammad Ali Hussien fled into Malaysia where he was arrested and jailed for two years on charges of being detrimental to security. After release, he came to Thailand and established contacts with weapons and drugs traders as well as insurgents in the South, reported the Bangkok Post quoting Thai authorities.