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

Below find a complete list of the Jemaah Islamiya members, as identified by law enforcement authorities, 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.