Looking for SE Asia's own Carlos the Jackel

Looking for SE Asia's own Carlos the Jackel

Tiarma Siboro and Meidyatama Suryodiningrat, The Jakarta Post,
Jakarta/Singapore

The intense antiterrorist probe conducted over the past three
months, has in recent weeks begun to expose transnational
activities which few could have imagined.

Despite claims by Indonesian police that Fathur Rahman Al-
Ghozi has no links with al-Qaeda, information obtained by The
Jakarta Post from various intelligence sources strongly suggests
that the Indonesian link is more pronounced than officials in
Jakarta would have us believe.

Taking the lead from Singapore's probe into an alleged
terrorist network targeting the city-state, there are at least
two or three men serving as a catalyst for local terrorist cells.

Their broad network and illusiveness reminds us of the
infamous Carlos the Jackel.

Exposing their identity and more importantly ascertaining
their links is vital to quashing this new regional threat.

Authorities believe a man identified as "Mike", was one of two
key figures in the foiled terrorist attack in Singapore which led
to the arrest in December of over a dozen locals who are all said
to be Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) members.

Mike was described as being Filipino or Indonesian. He is also
known as a trainer and bomb maker for the Moro Islamic Liberation
Front (MILF).

Apart from observing potential targets in Singapore such as
the U.S. and Israeli Embassies, he also directed the preparations
by local terrorist cells, including trying to obtain 14 tons of
ammonium nitrate.

Another mysterious figure has been identified as going by the
alias of Hambali or Nurjaman. He is said to be an Indonesian
residing in Malaysia.

Hambali was responsible for making travel arrangements of
several Jemaah Islamiyah members for training in Pakistan and
Afghanistan, including eight of those currently being detained in
Singapore.

The news spotlight has now turned on two Indonesians: Fathur
Rahman Al-Ghozi and Parlindungan Siregar.

Much has already been written about Fathur who was arrested in
the Philippines two weeks ago.

Already the media is speculating that the Indonesian native is
the infamous "Mike".

Having been found in illegal possession of weapons and
explosives, combined with his known association with the MILF,
the profile fits.

Two key facts must be highlighted: Firstly, Fathur was
educated in one of the schools set up by Abu Bakar Ba'asyir, and
second he spent time in the late 1980s and early 1990s in
Pakistan and possibly Afghanistan to study.

Fathur's attendance at one of the religious schools of the
Indonesian Mujahidin Council (MMI) indicates that he at least had
access to the regional network built up over the years by its
chief Abu Bakar Ba'asyir.

Fathur's presence in Afghanistan is also consistent with the
profile of most al-Qaeda operators who have undergone training in
Pakistan which was the center of training and education of
Taliban's elite.

There is speculation that in Pakistan or Afghanistan Fathur
may have first met Ibrahim Maidin, the head of the JI arrested in
Singapore. Ibrahim is known to have received training in
Afghanistan in 1993.

While Fathur's connections to the al-Qaeda still look more
circumstantial than factual, there is stronger evidence linking
Parlindungan to the terrorist group.

Parlindungan, 44, is currently believed to be in Malaysian
police custody for his alleged activities with the JI there.

Information received by the Post indicates that Parlindungan
is an al-Qaeda operative working in the region.

Not only did he nurture contacts with al-Qaeda agents in
Europe, but he facilitated their presence at the suspected
terrorist training camp concealed in Central Sulawesi jungles.

Parlindungan's journey begins in the late 1980s when the
Bandung Institute of Technology student obtained a scholarship to
study aeronautical engineering at Univesitas Complutense in
Madrid.

According to embassy reports, Parlindungan was for many years
a sociable person, active in the Indonesian community, including
giving Koranic reading lessons to children at the embassy in
Madrid.

Over the years he became friends with a man identified as
Yusuf Galan.

Both were often seen together. Parlindungan once even invited
Galan to the embassy to observe his Koranic class.

Through Galan, Parlindungan then met a Spanish national of
Syrian decent named Imad Edin Barakat Yarkas, a.k.a. Abu Dadah.

Spanish authorities have recently pointed to Abu Dadah and
Galan as being key al-Qaeda agents in Spain.

The two were in fact among 13 arrested by police in a sweep of
alleged al-Qaeda operatives in Madrid and Granada in November.

Abu Dadah has since been identified as a recruitment officer
who helped approach and arrange training of new recruits for al-
Qaeda camps in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Those who knew Parlindungan in Spain said he showed noticeable
changes in his personality after he lost his scholarship in 1996.
Embassy reports said that his behavior became more radical and
even his style of clothing changed.

One noticeable incident which led to him being ostracized by
the Indonesia community there was when he tried to get his
Koranic studies class to hold a street demonstration for Bosnia.

Military sources in Indonesia said Parlindungan returned home
in late 2000 or early 2001.

He remained largely anonymous and much of his activity was
undetected until his name was cited by several sources as a
frequent participant, and perhaps even trainer, at the hidden
camp in Central Sulawesi.

Presently, little is known about Parlindungan's contacts after
he returned home, other than those in relation to the camp which
was known to be active at least up until July 2001.

One thing is certain, his contacts with al-Qaeda agents
continued.

Spanish police have obtained information that suggests that
both Abu Dadah and Galan visited the camp in Central Sulawesi
which has been described only as belonging to a "Mujahidin
group".

Separately Indonesian Military sources said the camp
functioned as a training ground with about 50 new recruits coming
in every two or three months. There was no immediate information
as to where these recruits were shipped to later.

Automatic weapons were readily available in the camp, however,
their storage and distribution was kept under strict supervision
of "men who spoke Arabic".

The existence of the camp was made public here by State
Intelligence Body chief Hendropiyono late last year. Information
about the camp was believed to be obtained from U.S. satellite
shots which were dispatched to Jakarta courtesy of the Singapore
government.

Though much of the attention currently focuses on Fathur, who
is assumed to be "Mike", it would be erroneous to assume that he
alone is the trump card in unraveling the complex network of
activities especially since terrorist cells are known to work
independently of each other.

Even though there have been suggestions that Ba'asyir may be
the protagonist of the network in the region, more information
needs to be made public to support the assumption that there are
clear institutional links between al-Qaeda and groups which
he oversees such as JI and MMI.

One scenario being explored is that al-Qaeda has actually
infiltrated these organizations by recruiting individual members
of these groups.

The fact that these groups share a similar ideological or
philosophical bias only helped to radicalize them further after
the al-Qaeda trained agents were planted among their ranks.

Once inside it was easy for these agents to exploit the
established networks and further sway the already converted to
take part in terrorist activities, particularly with the infusion
of money.

Thus while these local groups may not have been adverse to the
use of their organizations for al-Qaeda activities, they may not
have authorized it either.