Immigration director-general Mustafar Ali, however, declined to name the country willing to accept Hassan al-Kontar, who is said to be wanted by Syrian authorities for refusing to join mandatory military service.

Kontar is now in immigration custody.

“I emphasise that this is not an expulsion (pengusiran) process, but delivery (penghantaran) as that country has agreed to take him.

“But that country needs some time to process (the application) in terms of his entry into the said country,” Mustafar said on the sidelines of the Anti-Corruption Summit here today.

Kontar, 36, was reported to have been living at klia2 since March 7 from fear of being arrested and forced to become a soldier if he returned to his homeland Syria. He was detained on Oct 1 and handed to immigration.

On Oct 2, Mustafar reportedly said Kontar had attempted to enter Cambodia after his permit to stay in Malaysia had expired, but was apparently denied entry.

Mustafar today said his department did not want to keep Kontar in custody any longer out of humanitarian reasons and given that another country had agreed to take him.

Mustafar previously said police had decided to arrest Kontar as his social media posts had embarrassed Malaysia and because he was in a restricted area without a boarding pass.

Deputy Home Minister Mohd Azis Jamman claimed Kontar had to be detained and investigated by police and that he had rejected offers of asylum from some other countries.

He is said to want asylum in Canada and reportedly refused to accept asylum in Malaysia first.

He stayed in the terminal, surviving on donated airline meals.

Kontar also made repeated appeals in a series of YouTube videos, lamenting that rights groups had refused to help him and no one would take him in.