FUGITIVE terrorist Mas Selamat Kastari probably planned his escape over a period of time and seized the opportunity when a 'confluence' of factors gave him the break to flee from the Whitley Road detention centre on Feb 27, said Home Affairs minister Wong Kan Seng on Monday.

He gave Parliament a full account of the escape, based on the findings of the Committee of Inquiry (COI), which submitted its report to him on April 10.

The five-page executive summary of the report was also presented in Parliament.

It took the Jemaah Islamiah leader under 11 minutes between 3.54 pm and 4.05 pm to make his escape - from the time he was brought to the toilet in the family visitation block and the time when the alert to his breakout was raised.

Mr Wong said he agreed with the COI's findings and accepted all its recommendations.

He added that he was satisfied that the three-member committee had done a thorough job.

Because of the sensitivity of the details, including the identity of the Internal Security Department and other security personnel and the precise work they do, he said the Cabinet has agreed that it is not possible to release the entire report 'without harming national interest and endangering the men and women who serve the nation'.

'We had also considered releasing the COI's report with the sensitive parts blacked out, but that was not feasible as the details are extensive. It would not only make understanding the report difficult, but also fuel the distraction of baseless speculation,' said the minister.

'However, we are very conscious that Members of this House and the public have a keen and valid interest in the findings of the COI. Hence, the Government has decided to release the executive summary of the COI report to show that the COI had carefully considered all the issues.'

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