S'pore produces evidence of terrorism
S'pore produces evidence of terrorism
Associated Press, Singapore
Shaky, grainy, color video clips of embassies, warships and a naval base were released by the Singapore government on Friday as evidence against suspected terrorists accused of plotting to blow up Western interests in the city-state.
The four video excerpts show some of the 13 suspected terrorists "casing" potential terror targets, the government said in a statement.
Singapore says the 13 are members of Jemaah Islamiyah, an extremist network with links to Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda.
The video clips are brief, with the shortest showing a 20- second drive past the Israeli embassy which ends when the camera is yanked away as security guards look over.
The longest clip, 1 minute 15 seconds, shows the U.S. Embassy and the Australian and British high commissions which flank the fortress-like American building.
The evidence against the 13, who have not been charged, was shown earlier this week before a closed-door advisory board. It is legal to hold people without trial under Singapore's Internal Security Act (ISA).
The three-member advisory board -- which includes a judge, a doctor and a businessman -- reviews the suspects' case but it has no power to convict or exonerate. If the board feels the men are innocent, they can recommend that the president pardon them.
According to the government statement, the suspects started casing Singaporean targets in October 2001.
In October, Singaporean Mohamed Nazir bin Mohammed Uthman, 27, and Indonesian Fathur Rohman Al-Ghozi filmed the American Embassy on Napier Road along with the British and Australian high commissions.
Al-Ghozi was known as "Mike" to suspects who were members of an al-Qaeda-linked cell in Singapore, the government said. Al- Ghozi filmed the U.S. Embassy video, which shows Nazir sitting at a bus stop in front of the embassy, the statement said.
The government says the videos were made by "foreign terrorists Sammy and Mike." The government says Sammy is a Canadian of Kuwaiti descent with suspected al-Qaeda links; his whereabouts are unknown. Sammy had earlier asked members of Jemaah Islamiyah to procure 17 tons of ammonium nitrate to build truck bombs, Singapore authorities say.
In November, suspects made "reconnaissance" videos of Singapore's Sembawang Wharf and Changi Naval Base, which are frequented by American and Singaporean sailors.
Al-Ghozi, who was arrested in the Philippine capital last month, told Filipino prosecutors on Thursday that he planned almost-simultaneous bombings that killed 22 people in Manila a year ago. The Indonesian was arrested after a tip-off from Singapore.
Al-Ghozi also had links in Malaysia and says he raised money for the Philippines attack from a Malaysian-based leader of Jemaah Islamiyah.
The videos were saved on VCDs with disguised labels. The footage of the wharf and naval base, which was filmed from the Southern Malaysian state of Johor, was found in a VCD disguised with the title, "MP3 ? Rock n Roll."
Meanwhile in Kuala Lumpur, Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has rejected allowing "outside parties" to interrogate Malaysian suspects detained in an anti-terror operation, saying there is no proof that any are connected to the Sept. 11 attacks.
The remarks appeared to rule out extraditing to the United States a former Malaysian army captain, Yazid Sufaat, jailed for his alleged role in an extremist group plotting to bomb U.S. targets in Singapore.
Yazid allegedly allowed two of the Sept. 11 hijackers to stay at his apartment in January 2000 during a stopover in Kuala Lumpur to meet with an operative from bin Laden's al-Qaeda network and local militants.