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| Southeast Asia |
| JI ramping up for new attack |
| 2005-04-20 |
| The Jemaah Islamiah terrorist network is drawing up plans for an attack similar to the deadly 2002 Bali nightclub bombings, a senior Singapore official said, citing intelligence provided by Indonesia's government. According to a letter written by a member of the al-Qaida-linked group and obtained by Indonesian authorities, Jemaah Islamiah (JI) had recruited more members and was plotting suicide bombings, said Minister of Home Affairs Wong Kan Seng. "A letter recovered in Indonesia, written by a JI member, said that 12 operatives were ready to be martyrs and that plans for a Bali-style attack were underway," Wong told intelligence officials in a speech late on Monday. "The writer acknowledged in the letter that this particular form of communication (letter writing) was chosen because the Internet and the telephones in the region were being monitored by the authorities," Wong said, according to a text of his comments received by Reuters on Tuesday. From Malaysia to Singapore and Indonesia to Philippines, authorities have uncovered an elaborate web of militant networks connected to Jemaah Islamiah and Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida. Wong did not reveal when or how Indonesia had obtained the letter, or provide information on where the attacks were planned, but Singapore based analyst Rohan Gunaratna said it was clear Jemaah Islamiah was expanding in Southeast Asia. "There are two reasons why the JI group can expand and launch new attacks. One is that the Philippines is a strategic base and new leaders and members are being produced. As long as camps in the Philippines remain active, the JI will fight back," he said. "The second reason is because the JI has not been proscribed as a terrorist group in Indonesia, which is their main recruiting base. As long as it remains a legal organization, JI will be able to disseminate propaganda, raise funds, recruit and grow," said Gunaratna, author of "Inside al-Qaida: Global Network of Terror". Wong said Jemaah Islamiah was reinventing itself by recruiting Caucasians and recent converts to Islam who defy the conventional stereotype of terrorists while moving into countries that do not require entry visas. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |