Al-Qaeda affiliate 'tied to Sept. 11 threat'
Al-Qaeda affiliate 'tied to Sept. 11 threat'
John J. Lumpkin, Associated Press, Washington
U.S. counterterrorism officials believe the operations chief of an al-Qaeda affiliate in Southeast Asia played a key role in a failed plot to bomb at least one American embassy in the region to mark the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.
Hambali, an Indonesian cleric whose real name is Riduan Isamuddin, is one of the top two leaders of Jemaah Islamiyah, a regional Islamic extremist network with cells in Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Myanmar and Thailand, according to U.S. officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
Counterterrorism officials learned of the bombing plot when a suspected al-Qaeda leader now in U.S. custody gave up the plan. His threats led to the closure of embassies in Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia and Vietnam.
On Sept. 11, the Philippine government released a letter from U.S. Assistant Secretary of State James A. Kelly warning that al- Qaeda members were prepared to launch truck bomb attacks in Southeast Asia and that intelligence indicated "imminent threats to U.S. Embassies."
U.S. officials have declined to specify the target or targets of the Sept. 11 anniversary operation. Hambali's precise role in the plot has also not been laid out, but terrorism officials suspect him of organizing other terrorist attacks as well.
The prisoner, Omar al-Farouq, has been identified as al- Qaeda's top operations chief in the region and a liaison between al-Qaeda's senior leadership and Hambali. Al-Farouq was captured by Indonesian authorities on June 5, and turned over to U.S. officials. He recently began talking to his interrogators.
His interrogation has provided a clearer picture of Jemaah Islamiyah, a group U.S. officials say has a twofold purpose: to create an Islamic state in Southeast Asia and to conduct acts of terrorism against U.S. interests.
Jemaah Islamiyah resembles al-Qaeda in organization and, like al-Qaeda, operates across international boundaries. This is unlike many other groups affiliated with al-Qaeda, many of which are focused on overthrowing the government of a single country.
Leadership of the group is split between Hambali, who handles operations, and Abu Bakar Ba'asyir, another Indonesian cleric who denies links to terrorism but is believed to be the group's spiritual leader, according to U.S., Singaporean and Malaysian officials. The group has sent people to Osama bin Laden's Afghan camps and received money from al-Qaeda.
Hambali's whereabouts are unknown. According to Singapore's Home Affairs Ministry, Hambali also gave the orders to Jemaah Islamiyah operatives who were arrested in December 2001 in connection with plots to bomb the U.S. Embassy in the city-state and American naval targets.
In addition, Hambali is tied to two Sept. 11 suicide hijackers. He is believed to have arranged the January 2000 meeting of Khalid al-Mihdhar and Nawaf al-Hazmi with a senior al- Qaeda operative, Tawfiq Attash Khallad, one of the masterminds of the USS Cole bombing later that year. The subject of the meeting remains a mystery.
Ba'asyir lives openly in Indonesia, despite entreaties from Malaysia, Singapore and the United States to authorities there to arrest him. Indonesian officials say they have no evidence to arrest him, but American officials suggest the Indonesian government fears a public backlash if the popular cleric is detained.
Ba'asyir denies links to terrorism and that Jemaah Islamiyah exists, but U.S. counterterrorism officials allege he founded the group in 1989 and maintains knowledge of the group's operations.
In a recent interview with The Associated Press, he challenged the United States to make its case against him and warned that jailing him would anger Muslims.
"I am not fighting against the American people but against the U.S. government," he said. "The government and the Jews are fighting against Muslims. It's part of a crusade by America to attack Islam. The United States hates me because I struggle in the name of Islam."