Saturday 12th January 2002
EmergencyNet News Special Report
SINGAPORE:
Major Terrorist Plot in Singapore Discovered; al-Qaeda
Believed Well
Established in the Asian Region
By Jeremy Zakis, ERRI Analyst in Australia
Steve Macko, EmergencyNet News Managing editor
[Terrorist Group Reference: al-Qaeda and Jamaah Islamiyah]
Officials in Singapore said on Friday that a videotape found in a house in Afghanistan associated with al-Qaeda helped lead authorities to arrest alleged members of a terrorist cell planning to bomb Western embassies, U.S. naval vessels and a bus that transports U.S. military service members. The tape, released by the Singapore government, features a man describing how explosives could be carried on a bicycle without arousing suspicion. The man -- identified as 40-year-old Hashim bin Abas, a "service engineer" -- was among 15 suspected Islamic militants taken into custody in Singapore last month.
United States Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld told a press conference that
he was "very pleased" with Singapore's response to reported plots against
US military personnel in the region. Singaporean authorities revealed on
Saturday that a videotape was shot by a suspected al-Qaeda member showing
potential terrorist targets around Singapore.
"There are all kinds of targets that exist in that area. And I think that
the government of Singapore has acted with dispatch, and we're very
pleased that they have been able to do what they've done," Secretary
Rumsfeld told reporters at a Pentagon press briefing.
Authorities in Singapore said the videotape, with the voice of the al-Qaeda
member narrating, showed a bus stop, Mass Rapid Transport (MRT) railway station
and an area where US personnel congregate as possible targets. There was also
footage of a line of bicycles with carry boxes strapped to them, which the
narrator suggested could be used to carry explosives up to a target.
A map said to have been found with one of the suspects identified several
observation points along with a "kill zone" in a shipping channel used by U.S.
Navy ships. The U.S. Navy maintains a large logistics operation in Singapore.
According to Singapore authorities, the terrorist group also was planning
attacks on a number of non-American targets, among them, buildings housing the
diplomatic representatives of Britain, Australia and Israel. The Australian High
Commission and British consulate were named as possible targets. In reaction to
the discovery of the terrorist plot, US and Australian embassies in Singapore
are on heightened alert.
A statement by Singapore's Ministry of Home Affairs identified the 13 people arrested in the case as members of a clandestine organization called Jamaah Islamiyah (Islamic Group), described as part of a regional network with additional cells in Malaysia and Indonesia. In the raids, Singapore officials said they had seized bomb-making information as well as photographs and video footage of the U.S. Embassy and other intended targets. Also uncovered in the suspects' homes were fake passports, forged immigration stamps and materials linked to al-Qaeda.
Names of the Suspected Terrorists
A Complete list of the Jemaah Islamiya members arrested in January 2002:
Haji Ibrahim b Haji Maidin, 51, condominium manager;
Mohamad Anuar bin Margono, 31, driver;
Mohamed Khalim bin Jaffar, 39, printer;
Ja'afar bin Mistooki, 40, despatch driver;
Faiz bin Abu Bakar Bafana, 39, businessman;
Fathi Abu Bakar Bafana, 36, businessman;
Mohamed Ellias s/o Mohamed Khan, 29, manager;
Mohamed Nazir bin Mohmmed Uthman, 27, ship traffic assistant;
Adnan bin Musa, 36, technician;
Halim bin Hussain, 41, supervisor;
Hashim bin Abas, 40, service engineer;
Andrew Gerard @ Ali Ridhaa bin Abdullah, 34, technician
Othman bin Mohamed, 42, supervisor
History of the Jemaah Islamiya Group
The "Jemaah Islamiyah" (JI or Islamic Group) cells were first noticed in 1997
surveillance operations by Singapore authorities, but evidence suggests the
terrorists may have been operating in 1993, when cell leader Maidin Maidin
traveled to terrorist camps in Afghanistan for military training.
Keeping a low profile and working clandestinely, the group worked separate from
all other mainstream Muslim organizations and operated using a series of
code-names and code-words for communications. Recruitment was done locally by
Maidin himself,
who taught classes in Islam.
Eight of the 13 men arrested last week, received tactical and weapons training
at al-Qaeda camps in Afghanistan and physical training in Negri Sembilan,
Malaysia. They used false documentation and cover stories about their personal
life to gain entry into Pakistan, where they were accommodated at an al-Qaeda
safe house before being sent to Afghanistan.
In Afghanistan, they received training in the use of AK-47s, mortars and
military tactics. An encrypted diskette recently seized by authorities showed a
letter nominating two more terrorists, Mohd Ellias and Mohd Nazir for special
training in ambush, assassination, sniper operations and field engineering.
All of the terrorists in custody were educated in Singapore and not members of
any mosques. Six had completed full-time National Service in the Singaporean
Armed Forces. Singaporean intelligence said the JI was dominated by foreign
elements and held extremist ideological views against the United States, and the
western culture in general.
Jemaah Islamiya Command Cell in Malaysia
Jemaah Islamiyah operates cells in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. According
to Singaporean intelligence, the cell arrested in Singapore was commanded by the
Malaysian-based "shura" (consultative council) headed by Hambali Nurjaman Riduan
Isamuddin, an Indonesian.
Isamuddin, who is currently wanted by both Malaysian and Indonesian police,
acted as commander for at least three cells in Singapore. The 13 arrested men
came from a cell called "Fiah Ayub" (first cell) headed by Ibrahim Maidin, whose
second in command was Faiz bin Abi Bakar Bafana.
Planned to Bomb Buses, Warships and Embassies
Along with the arrests, Singaporean authorities uncovered a well-developed
plan to bomb a shuttle bus service conveying US personnel between Sembawang
Wharf and the Yishun MRT Station. The plan had been conveyed from the
operational cell in Singapore to leaders of al-Qaeda in Afghanistan for
approval. In or around April 2000, a video taped reconnaissance mission was
undertaken at the Yishun MRT station by Hashim bin Abas, who was detained last
week. The videotape and handwritten notes in Arabic, were found in the rubble of
an Al-Qaeda leader's house in Afghanistan. Authorities did not know when
the plan was suppose to be carried out.
A second plan was also discovered detailing an ambitious plan to bomb US naval
vessels along the northeast waters of Singapore between Changi and Pulau Tekong.
The only documents supporting this plan were maps, showing terrorist observation
points in Singapore and Johre, which suggests it was only in its infancy.
The second cell called "Fiah Musa" utilized its contacts with technicians at the
Paya Lebar Airbase, where U.S. aircraft were stationed. More than 50 photographs
of U.S. aircraft were found in the possession of the arrested men.
In September or October 2001, an unknown foreign group approached the cell
asking for assistance to plan bombings against specific targets in Singapore.
One of the foreign people identified himself as "Mike" and said he was a trainer
and bomb-maker with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), a Philippine
terrorist organization.
During October 2001, the cell conducted surveillance operations at the US
Embassy, the Australian High Commission, the British High Commission, the
Israeli Embassy, commercial buildings where there are American companies and the
MINDEF Complex at Bukit Gombak.
As part of the plans to bomb "specific targets" the second cell was also ordered
to acquire 21 tonsof ammonium nitrate for several truck bombs. Four tonsof the
substance was already in their possession.
The "Fiah Ismail" (third cell) was formed after the 9/11 terrorist attacks and
conducted preliminary surveillance of US companies as potential targets.
However, it ceased operations when they discovered other suspected terrorists
were being arrested.
No other cells are believed to exist in Singapore. But the connections with MILF
in the Philippines and other cells in Indonesia is an indication that al-Qaeda
is well established in the Asian region.
Several other members of the terrorist group may have fled the country, but
Singaporean authorities are continuing their investigations. The 13
arrested men were served with Orders of Detention for two years and will
be subjected to further investigation by Singaporean authorities.
From: ERRI DAILY INTELLIGENCE REPORT-Friday, January 11, 2002-Vol. 8, No.011
SINGAPORE:
[Terror Group Reference: al-Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiyah]
The Singapore government said on Friday that suspected Islamic militants
arrested last month were
plotting attacks on US servicemen. One plan was to bomb a shuttle bus
carrying US personnel between a naval
base and a local subway station. Another plan was to bomb US naval vessels
off Singapore.
Fifteen suspects were arrested last month, but two have since been released.
The home affairs ministry said that details of the plans -- including a
surveillance video of one of the targets -- were discovered at the time of
the arrests. The statement said: "The plan was apparently developed and
ready for activation." It said eight of the men had received weapons
training in al-Qaeda camps in Afghanistan. The government has said the
suspected militants belonged to a group called Jemaah Islamiyah, which it
said was part of a larger network with cells in Malaysia and Indonesia.
07 Jan 2002
SINGAPORE:
Fifteen Militants Arrested in Alleged Terrorist Plot
[Terror Group Reference: al-Qaeda]
A radio station reported on Sunday that Singapore's defense minister said suspected militants arrested in the city- state were plotting to bomb military targets and embassies. Defense Minister Tony Tan did not specify which embassies or military bases had been targeted. The report came a day after the government announced the arrest of 15 suspected militants, some of whom allegedly trained at al-Qaeda camps in Afghanistan.
According to the radio report, Tan said Singapore is vulnerable to terrorist attacks because of its close ties to the United States, which has a large military presence on the Southeast Asian island.
Some of the 15 were serving in Singapore's military, but there were no high-ranking officers among them. The suspects were arrested last month and detailed information on bomb construction and photographs and video footage of targeted buildings in Singapore were found in their homes and offices. Al-Qaeda- linked materials, falsified passports and forged immigration stamps were also found.
An Interior Ministry statement said that the suspects have links to militant groups in Malaysia and Indonesia. Malaysian police have arrested 13 people since 9 December on suspicion of being members of an extremist group.
© EmergencyNet News Service, 2002. All rights reserved. May not
be redistributed or otherwise published without the expressed permission of ERRI/EmergencyNet
News.
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