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| Southeast Asia |
| Malaysian coppers say JI's regrouping |
| 2004-07-23 |
| Remnants of the al Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiah (JI) are regrouping and planning more terror attacks in Southeast Asia despite the arrest of their leaders, Malaysia's police intelligence chief said on Friday. As well as JI, the group blamed for the deadly bombings on Indonesia's Bali island in 2002, other militant groups including the little-known Indonesian Battalion Abu Bakar (BAB) could also cause trouble, said Mohamad Yusof Abdul Rahman. "Although the threat has subsided, there is a small number who want to continue their jihad struggle like Dr. Azahari Husin," Yusof told a conference on terrorism, referring to the JI's suspected master bomb maker. "However, a big group of them are preserving their strength while reorganizing themselves," he said in a rare speech outlining the work of regional militants. Police and intelligence officials say JI, which seeks to establish an Islamic state across much of Southeast Asia, has also planned or carried out other attacks in the region. Though JI members have been arrested in the Philippines, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia, Azahari, a Malaysian, is still at large. Yusof, director of the Special Branch at the Royal Malaysian Police, said two Indonesian madrassas or religious schools -- one in Solo and the other in Semarang -- had sent clerics to teach in other such schools throughout Indonesia. "The authorities view these people as 'sleepers' who will one day wake up and spring into action when the need arises." "At the same time, several Darul Islam splinter groups such as Battalion Abu Bakar (BAB) are capable of stirring up trouble as evidenced by the failed attempts by three BAB members to kill former Indonesian defense minister Matori Abdul Djalil in February 2000 in southern Jakarta," he said. Yusof said Darul Islam (DI), which originated in Indonesia, was the JI's old name. "Indonesian DI members decided to change the name to JI in 1993 after setting up base here (in Malaysia) from where they became involved in the Afghan war," he said. Malaysian Defense Minister Najib Razak told the conference there was a "clear and present and immediate" terrorist threat, and it could only be countered by force. "It is futile to wear kid gloves when confronting a professional boxer in the ring." |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |