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09/06/2003
Text: U.S. Designates 10 Jemaah Islamiyah Terrorists
Treasury Secretary Snow makes announcement September 5
While attending an APEC meeting in Thailand September 5, U.S. Treasury Secretary John Snow announced that the United States was designating 10 members of Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), a South Asian terrorist group with links to al-Qaida, as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs) under Executive Order 13224. Snow said the United States was also submitting the 10 individuals' names to the United Nations for designation by all U.N. member states as al-Qaida terrorists in accord with U.N. Security Council Resolution 1267.
The designation "will immediately freeze all assets belonging to these terrorists in the U.S. and prohibit transactions with U.S. persons. Within 72 hours, if there are no objections by the U.N. 1267 committee, all U.N. member states will be required to take similar actions," according to the Treasury statement. The texts of the statement and an accompanying fact sheet follow:
(Begin statement:)
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY
FROM THE OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS
September 5, 2003
Snow Announces Designation of 10 Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) Terrorists
In a press conference at the APEC Meeting in Phuket, Thailand, U.S. Treasury Secretary John Snow announced that the United States is today designating 10 members of Jemaah Islamiyah, or JI, a South Asian terrorist group with significant links to al-Qaida, as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs) under Executive Order 13224. The U.S. is also submitting these individuals to the United Nations for designation by all U.N. member states as al-Qaida terrorists.
"This designation is yet another important step in the ongoing effort by the international community to shut down JI terrorist operations in Southeast Asia," Secretary Snow stated. "Today's action identifies 10 individuals at the heart of the JI network. These terrorists have worked to achieve al-Qaida's terrorist goals in Southeast Asia. They have plotted to assassinate international leaders, they have planned and supported attacks such as the Bali bombing -- a horrific act that took the lives of 200 people and wounded 300. We look forward to working with our allies in the region to dismantle JI -- to shut down their sources of financing and support, and to eliminate the threat they present to the people of Southeast Asia."
Today's action follows the previous designation by the U.S. and the United Nations of JI as a terrorist organization; the designation and recent capture of key JI figure Nurjaman Riduan Isamuddin (also known as Hambali); and the designation of Mohamad Iqbal Aburrabman (a.ka. Abu Jibril).
The designation today will immediately freeze all assets belonging to these terrorists in the U.S. and prohibit transactions with U.S. persons. Within 72 hours, if there are no objections by the U.N. 1267 committee, all U.N. member states will be required to take similar actions.
Since September 11th 2001, the United States and our allies have designated 305 individuals and entities as terrorists and supporters of terrorism and have frozen over $136.7 million in assets worldwide.
Further details, including the list of those designated, are provided in the attached fact sheet.
(End Statement.)
(Begin Fact Sheet:)
FACT SHEET
DESIGNATION OF JEMAAH ISLAMIYAH MEMBERS
Jemaah Islamiyah ("JI") is an al-Qaida-linked terrorist group with cells operating in several countries in Southeast Asia. The JI's stated goal is to create an Islamic state comprising Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, and the southern Philippines. Members of JI have been trained, funded and directed by the al-Qaida leadership to pursue al-Qaida's terrorist agenda across the region. In December 2001, Singapore authorities arrested 13 JI members, eight of whom had trained in al-Qaida camps in Afghanistan, who planned to bomb the U.S. and Israeli Embassies, British and Australian diplomatic buildings, and U.S. and Singapore defense targets in Singapore. Members of the group had conducted videotaped surveillance of the potential targets, and had already acquired explosives in preparation for the attacks. Singapore police discovered tampered passports, forged immigration stamps, bomb-making manuals, and al-Qaida-related material in several suspects' homes. In addition, a copy of a videotape made by certain members of the group and showing intended targets in Singapore was found in the wreckage of an al-Qaida leader's house in Afghanistan in December 2001. In April 2003, Indonesian authorities arrested 19 additional members of JI as suspects in the Bali bombings of October 2002. In the home of one of the suspects, police reportedly discovered documents with plans for the bombings.
The United States designated JI as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) under Executive Order 13224, "Blocking Property and Prohibiting Transactions with Persons who Commit, or Support Terrorism," on October 23, 2002. On January 24, 2003, two senior JI leaders, Nurjaman Riduan Isamuddin (most commonly known as Hambali) and Mohamad Iqbal Abdurrabman, also known as Abu Jibril, were also designated as SDGTs under E.O. 13224. JI and the two leaders have been added to the U.N. 1267 Committee sanctions list. The United States government has credible evidence that the following JI members support and/or commit acts of terrorism on behalf of JI.
• Yassin Sywal. "Yassin" is an operative who provides support to JI and al-Qaida in Southeast Asia. Yassin received training in the al-Qaida-operated Chaldun Camp in Afghanistan in the l980s or l990s. When he returned to Southeast Asia, he became involved in sectarian conflicts occurring in Sulawesi, Indonesia. Yassin, who is the son-in-law of JI co-founder Abdullah Sungkar, collaborated with individuals associated with JI and al-Qaida in Southeast Asia, such as suspected al-Qaida operative Umar Faruq, to recruit and train Muslims for combat in Sulawesi. Yassin also assisted in importing weapons from the Philippines for use in conflicts in Indonesia. In addition, Yassin participated in planning and facilitating al-Qaida terrorist plots in Southeast Asia. In 1999, Yassin attended a planning session with Faruq to select assassination targets. The targets selected included Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri and other Indonesian figures. Yassin's role in the plot was to procure weapons for use in the assassinations. Ultimately, the plot was aborted.
• Mukhlis Yunos. An explosives expert, Yunos is the leader of the Special Operations Group of the Philippines-based Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). Yunos has acted on behalf of and materially assisted JI on several occasions. Yunos assisted JI member Fathur Rohman Al-Ghozi in procuring explosives and weapons for shipment to Indonesia and elsewhere. Yunos also carried out the December 30, 2000, bombings in Manila, known as the "Rizal Day Bombings," on behalf of JI. Yunos received financial assistance from JI figures Faiz bin Abu Bakar Bafana and Fathur Rohman A1-Ghozi to conduct the Rizal Day bombings, which killed 22 people and injured more than 100. Yunos also assisted JI operations chief Riduan Isomuddin, a.k.a. Hambali, and JI Singapore cell leader Faiz bin Abu Bakar Bafana in conducting surveillance of the U.S. and Israeli embassies in the Philippines. Yunos studied in Pakistan and received military training in Afghanistan.
• Imam Samudra. An Indonesian national, Samudra was arrested on November 21, 2002, in connection with the October 12, 2002, bombings in Bali. Indonesian authorities have identified Samudra as a member of JI. Samudra moved to Malaysia in 1990, received military training in Afghanistan between 1991 and 1993, and took an oath of allegiance, or "bai'at," to JI leader Abu Bakar Bashir in 1998. Samudra has provided support and assistance to JI in at least three bomb attacks. Samudra assisted JI operations chief Hambali in organizing and financing the bombings of 24 churches in Indonesia on December 24, 2000, which killed 19 people and injured more than 100. Samudra participated in the bomb attack on a Jakarta shopping mall on August 1, 2001, by providing explosives and detonators to two men who carried out the attack. Samudra also played a central role in the Bali bomb attacks that killed 202 people. Samudra initiated the Bali bomb plot and selected the target and time of the bombings. He also recruited and commanded the team that executed the Bali blasts. Indeed, Indonesian police found the following message on Samudra's computer:
"We are responsible for the incident in Legian St. Kuta Bali, at Saturday night, October 12, 2002, also near General Consulate building in Jalan Hayman Wuruk 188, Denpasar, Bali at the same night."
• Huda bin Abdul Haq (a.k.a. and hereafter referred to as, "Mukhlas"). Mukhlas is a senior and influential JI leader with ties to Usama bin Laden. He was reportedly named head of JI's "Mantiqi One", or regional network, covering Sumatra, Singapore, Malaysia and southern Thailand. Mukhlas co-founded a religious school in Malaysia used as a training ground for JI operatives and was involved extensively in the Bali bombings. Mukhlas was detained and charged by Indonesian authorities with planning and supervising the terrorist attacks that occurred in Bali on October 12, 2002, killing at least 202 people. A 1,046- page case file cites reports of 200 witnesses linking Mukhlas with the attacks. Mukhlas himself admitted to being present and in command at the planning meetings for the Bali bombings, and recruited two of his brothers to help assemble and transport the bombs used in the Bali attacks. A significant sum of money, amounting to approximately U.S. $35,000, was contributed to the Bali bombings by Wan Mm Wan Mat, a leader of the JI network in Malaysia. The money came from senior JI leader Hambali through Wan Mm and was channeled to Mukhlas. The money was provided in cash, and according to claims by Mukhlas, the money was not just used for the bombings in Bali, but also in other places in Indonesia. Mukhlas admitted that he met with Usama bin Laden in Afghanistan in 1987 and fought the Soviet Union in Afghanistan as a member of Usama bin Laden's "International Brigade." According to Mukhlas "he and other top JI personnel were careful to nurture ties to bin Laden and al-Qaida in the years that followed."
• Parlindungan Siregar. 'Parlin Siregar" is an Indonesian engineer identified by Spanish authorities as a close associate of an al-Qaida cell in Spain. Siregar has also been involved in al-Qaida training activities in Indonesia, according to the same authorities. Siregar, who studied engineering in Spain, was associated with the Spanish al-Qaida cell led by Barakat Yarkas. Spanish authorities arrested 11 members of that cell in November 2001. During the course of their investigation, Spanish authorities uncovered evidence indicating that Siregar led an al-Qaida training camp in Sulawesi, Indonesia. Siregar is alleged by Spanish authorities to have arranged for several hundred al-Qaida operatives from Europe, including Yarkas, to travel to Indonesia for training.
• Julkipli Salim Y Salamuddin. Salamuddin led combined JI-MILF elements in late 2002, along with MILF leader Solamain Esmael. They were suspected of planning attacks on U.S. companies, government facilities, and shopping malls in the South Central Mindanao area.
• Aris Munandar. Munandar facilitates and provides support to JI activities in Southeast Asia. Munandar, a native of Indonesia, is reported to be between 34 and 40 years old. He is a close associate of JI leader Abu Bakar Bashir. Munandar is a graduate of Bashir's Islamic boarding school, Pondok Ngruki, and a member of Majelis Mujahidin Indonesia (MMI), an organization that Bashir helped found and later directed. He is also the head of KOMPAK, a non-governmental organization that produced videos used in the recruitment of JI members. Munandar is considered to be Bashir's assistant. As such, Munandar provided direct support and assistance to activities authorized by Bashir. On one occasion, Munandar procured explosives at the request of Bashir for use in Ambon. Munandar also facilitated recruitment and training for JI and al-Qaida activities in Indonesia. Munandar, working with al-Qaida operative Umar Faruq, is suspected of providing military training for recruits to join sectarian fighting in Sulawesi.
• Fathur Rohman Al-Ghozi. Al-Ghozi is a JI member and explosives expert who received military training at an al-Qaida camp on the Afghan-Pakistani border. Al-Ghozi was involved in conducting surveillance and procuring explosives for the Hambali-approved JI plan to attack U.S. and other Western interests in Singapore. He admitted to helping plan and finance a series of bombings in the Philippines on December 30, 2000, that killed 22 people and injured more than 100. He also served as a JI trainer and conducted bomb-making courses in Malaysia and the Philippines attended by JI members. Al-Ghozi was detained by Philippine authorities on January 15, 2002, pled guilty to explosives charges in April 2002, and was sentenced to 10-12 years in jail. While under detention, he gave police information that led to the discovery of more than a ton of explosives, 300 detonators and other bomb-making materials in the Southern Philippines. In an affidavit, A1-Ghozi admitted he was working with Hambali (an SDGT designated under E.O. 13224 on January 24, 2003). Al-Ghozi escaped from prison on July 14, 2003, and is currently at large.
• Agus Dwikarna. Dwikarna is a JI member and facilitator for al-Qaida in Indonesia. Dwikarna acted as a guide for two al-Qaida leaders during their visit to Indonesia in June 2002, and reportedly set up an al-Qaida training camp in Indonesia. Dwikarna was arrested on March 13, 2002, while attempting to board a flight at the international airport in Manila, the Philippines. Security personnel discovered bomb-making equipment in his suitcase. Dwikarna was sentenced to 17 years in jail for illegal possession of explosives.
• Abdul Hakim Murad. Murad, a Pakistani national, is a licensed commercial pilot who trained in flight schools in the U.S. He was arrested in Manila, the Philippines in January 1995 in a raid that resulted in the seizure of a laptop computer, a large quantity of chemicals and other paraphernalia used in the manufacture of explosives. He was turned over to the U.S. and indicted for conspiring to simultaneously blow up 12 U.S. commercial airliners while airborne, a project codenamed Bojinka. According to Philippines and U.S. law enforcement officials, the key planners of the Bojinka plot were al-Qaida operations directors Khalid Shaikh Mohammad and Ramzi Yousef. Khalid Shaikh Mohammed was indicted as a co-conspirator of the Bojinka plot in 1996, but avoided standing trial by eluding law authorities. Mohammed was designated as an SDGT pursuant to E.O. 13224 on October 12, 2001, and was arrested on March 1, 2003, in Pakistan. Murad also told the FBI, in step-by-step details, of his involvement in preparing the Bojinka plot. On September 5, 1996, Abdul Hakim Murad, along with co-defendants Ramzi Yousef and Wail Khan Main Shah, were convicted on all counts related to the Bojinka bombing conspiracy.
(End Fact Sheet.)
(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
