PETALING JAYA - MALAYSIAN police are checking if Malaysian travel documents were used to facilitate the movements of the terrorists in the Mumbai massacre.

Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar, who stressed that there was no link to Malaysia in the attack, said Malaysian travel documents were much sought after in the international arena because they were well-received.

This was mainly because Malaysia was a peaceful and safe country, he said, adding that its people's passports were therefore valuable.

'That's why we believe that syndicates like to forge Malaysian travel documents,' he said in a telephone interview on Sunday night.

He said Malaysian authorities would assist their Indian counterparts to investigate the identities of the gunmen who killed 180 people and allegedly had Malaysian addresses.

However, Malaysian Consul-General to India Wan Zaidi Wan Abdullah has dismissed the alleged Malaysian involvement in the terrorist attacks, clarifying that it was actually a fake Mauritius identity card.

Mr Syed Hamid said the police were waiting for a detailed report from India as there were conflicting reports.

'Right now, there is nothing to link Malaysia with the attacks. People should stop speculating and let the Indian authorities complete their investigations,' he said.

Malaysia would give its full cooperation if requested, he said.

Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan said he had asked his officers to liaise with their foreign counterparts to enable police here verify the authenticity of Malaysian credit cards found at the scene.

'The cards could belong to tourists as many Malaysians go there often,' he pointed out.

In Mumbai, Mr Wan Zaidi dismissed the alleged Malaysian involvement in the terrorist attacks as a possible mistaken identity.

He said the Times of India newspaper could have misreported that some of the terrorists had Malaysian identity cards, adding that only a fake Mauritius identity card was found.

The Times of India had earlier reported that nine of the gunmen had claimed to be Malaysian students when they visited Mumbai months ago for reconnaissance work.

'So far, we have not received any report that Malaysian documents were found and no one has asked us for our assistance,' Wan Zaidi said, adding that a full report on the matter has been sent to Wisma Putra.

Asked if any Malaysian could have been among those injured and had been admitted to hospitals, Wan Zaidi said all 150 Malaysians had been accounted for. - THE Star.