Al-Qaeda funded Bali attacks: Reports<\/p>\n
Agence France-Presse, Washington<\/p>\n
Alleged terror chief Hambali told U.S. investigators that al-
\nQaeda financed last year's Bali nightclub bombings and had
\nconsidered new attacks on western targets in Southeast Asia, Time
\nmagazine reported in Monday's edition.<\/p>\n
Hambali, whose birth name is Riduan Isamuddin, was arrested by
\nThai and U.S. authorities in Thailand in mid-August.<\/p>\n
He is being questioned at the U.S.-British air base on
\nBritain's remote Indian Ocean island Diego Garcia, the magazine
\nreported, citing a regional intelligence official.<\/p>\n
According to copies of his confession obtained by Time,
\nHambali said al-Qaeda had sent him US$30,000 to fund the bombings
\nof two nightclubs in Bali that left 202 people dead.<\/p>\n
"Al-Qaeda was highly satisfied with the Bali bombings and as a
\nresult provided additional money" totaling $100,000, an
\ninterrogation report said.<\/p>\n
From that money, $45,000 was given to Jamaah Islamiyah (JI) in
\nIndonesia, Hambali said. Another $15,000 was to support the
\nfamilies of the imprisoned Bali bombers, and $30,000 was to
\nfinance new attacks.<\/p>\n
Hambali said some of the money could have been used for the
\nAugust bombing of the JW Marriott Hotel in South Jakarta, where
\n12 people were killed, the magazine said.<\/p>\n
Other targets considered for future attacks included U.S. and
\nBritish embassies in Bangkok, nightclubs in Thailand, and
\nshopping centers popular with western expatriates in Manila's
\nelite Makati district.<\/p>\n
"The prisoner mentioned that Jewish targets were always the
\nmain priority," according to a report about Hambali obtained by
\nTime, which said he had scouted the Israeli embassy and a
\nsynagogue in Manila.<\/p>\n
One of Hambali's closest aides, Bashir bin Lap, also known as
\nLillie, said two Israeli-owned businesses in or near Bangkok's
\nbackpacker district were also considered for attack, as was the
\nIsraeli carrier El Al's ticket counter and airplanes at the
\ncity's airport.<\/p>\n
Hambali and Lillie both described links between al-Qaeda,
\nJamaah Islamiyah and the Philippines' Moro Islamic Liberation
\nFront (MILF), saying $27,000 had been transferred this summer to
\nthe group, according to Time.<\/p>\n
Hambali also said that JI's members train in camps protected
\nby the Moros, and that it is "most likely a large number of
\nmembers of JI Indonesia are hiding in the Philippines and
\nsupporting the MILF," the magazine said.<\/p>\n
Hambali is believed to be the Asian pointman for al-Qaeda,
\nwhich conducted the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States, and
\nthe operations chief of JI, a regional militant group accused of
\ncarrying the October 2002 Bali bombings and a string of other
\nattacks.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/al-qaeda-funded-bali-attacks-reports-1447893297",
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