JI's reappearance a cause for concern

Andrin Raj
New Straits Times
07-29-2009
JI's reappearance a cause for concern
Byline: Andrin Raj
Edition: Main/Lifestyle
Section: Main Section

JEMAAH Islamiyah has been blamed for the recent twin bombings in Jakarta. The attacks highlight the swift need to disable the terrorist organisation before it can cause more destruction across Southeast Asia, writes ANDRIN RAJ.

The recent bombings of the Ritz-Carlton and J.W. Marriott hotels in Jakarta was not surprising, as the re-emergence of Jemaah Islamiyah has been evident for the last year and a half.
The escape of Mas Selamat Kastari from Singapore was part of the re-emergence of JI in Southeast Asia. That he managed to swim from Singapore to Johor Baru should have been a warning to the authorities in the region. Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines remain JI targets.

Mas Selamat, the JI leader of "Mantiqi 1" of Singapore, which covers Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand, is a close aide of Noordin Mohammad Top, the JI operations leader in Southeast Asia, still at large.

Noordin remains a key figure in JI and remains part of the larger Southeast Asian terrorist organisation.

JI is the only terrorist organisation in the region with a clear and structured operational modus operandi. It recruits its members from the Southeast Asian region.

Since the Sept 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States, authorities have crippled most of the terrorist cells in the region. JI moved much of its training operations to Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Mas Selamat's one-year disappearance would have given him the opportunity to plan new attacks with his accomplice Noordin, without whom these attacks could not have occurred. Mas Selamat in Malaysia would have had access to "sleeping cells" in the region.

The Internet would have enabled correspondence with Noordin, currently believed to be in Indonesia. As much as these are monitored, the authorities are aware of the difficulties of tracing Internet mail.

Mas Selamat's capture in Malaysia earlier this year is a key element of the recent bombings in Jakarta. Terrorist groups have to plan such major strikes in advance.

When the authorities in Malaysia captured Mas Selamat, they also detained several JI members, some of whom were new recruits.

The information elicited from them may only have been part of a bigger plan. Evidence gathered by the Indonesian authorities indicates that the bombs were of homemade explosives, similar to those made by bomb experts such as Noordin and Malaysian-born Azahari Hussein, who was killed in a shoot-out with police in Malang, Central Java, in late 2005.

Noordin is currently the most senior JI member and commands authority in such attacks. These bombings could have been assisted by Mas Selamat in the initial planning. Thailand and the Philippines must also be vigilant and ready to address this threat. In forestalling these threats, the authorities should expect the unexpected.

The Ritz-Carlton and Marriott bombings were the work of suicide bombers. Closed-circuit television footage revealed a suicide bomber with a backpack in front of his body. This indicated loopholes in security procedures, and suggested the complicity of insiders.

Suicide bombers are known to work with two accomplices in proximity. The "escort" is the person the authorities should identify; the suicide bomber is dead. The other is usually a photographer who would be taking snapshots of the incident from a safe distance.

This is characteristic of a JI operation and should be taken seriously, as more attacks are likely in the near future.

Indonesia has some 360 "extremist organisations" operating legally. Evidence gathered in 2002 around Indonesia showed "extremist" rallies taking place regularly all over Indonesia.

This intensified after the 9/11 attacks, when members of these organisations wore military outfits and rallied in support of al- Qaeda, with pictures of Osama bin Laden on T-shirts.

JI is classified as a terrorist organisation by the US but not in Indonesia, where it is difficult for authorities to curtail religious groups. A plan to pass a law addressing the existence of extremist organisations has been pending for some time, but has not made any appreciable progress.

The Indonesian authorities should address these issues immediately. Not doing so might undermine the political foundations of Indonesia.

* The writer is a terrorism analyst with the International Association for Counter-Terrorism and Security Professionals. The views expressed here are his own

(Copyright 2009)