Bangkok (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Thailand Army has found arms and al-Qaeda video in a Muslim religious school. The owner of the religious school, Adinan Jehazae (33), and three of his students were being held for questioning about "possible links with al-Qaeda".

Soldiers raided the Jihad Witthaya school, in southern Pattani province after two people charged with setting fire to Buddhist schools confessed that they had received military training at that school.

"During the raid we found that the school has been used as a training ground because it had a firing range and several bullet holes were found in trees. We seized two pistols," said Colonel Arkhom Pongprom. The four were being detained for seven days of questioning and would be charged if they were found to have any ties to foreign terrorist groups or involvement with violence in the south, Colonel Arkhom said. "They are being questioned about how they acquired the al-Qaeda videos and we believe whoever has such videos must have bad intentions ... and is a threat to national security," the colonel said.

More than 800 people have died since January 2004 in southern Thailand where authorities say a resurgent Islamic separatist movement must be stopped. The country's Muslim minority, mostly centred in the south, has long complained about being relegated to second-class status in the Buddhist nation. Thai security forces have accused some of the religious schools of using the institutions as training grounds for terrorists. There are more than 1,500 such schools in the provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat.

Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra last week ordered that the school be closed. In his weekly radio address last weekend, Mr Thaksin said ammunition, military training and al-Qaeda CDs were found during the raid.

• thailand
• islam
• terrorism
• violence
• al-Qaeda
• army
• madrasse
• separatist
• movement
• muslims
• buddhists