Terrorists aimed to overthrow Malaysian govt: S'pore

Terrorists aimed to overthrow Malaysian govt: S'pore

Chris Foley, Agence France-Presse, Singapore

Suspected terrorists arrested in Singapore were planning to
cripple military and other crucial targets as part of a plan to
overthrow the Malaysian government and create an Islamic state
there, the Singapore government said Thursday.

It was to be the first step toward their ultimate goal of
creating an Islamic state covering Malaysia, Indonesia,
Singapore, the southern Philippines island of Mindanao and
Brunei, the government said in a report backgrounding the arrest
of 21 suspected terrorists last month.

Most were from the same Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) organization as
13 other suspected terrorists arrested last December.

They wanted to create another "Ambon", the government said,
referring to the Indonesian city where more than 5,000 people
have been killed in religious violence since 1999.

"The aim was to create a situation in Malaysia and Singapore
conducive to overthrowing the Malaysian government and making
Malaysia an Islamic state.

"The attacks on key Singapore installations would be portrayed
as acts of aggression by the Malaysian government, thereby
generating animosity and distrust between Malaysia and
Singapore."

The government said the regional JI leader, an Indonesian
known as Hambali, "aimed to stir up ethnic strife by playing up
'Chinese Singapore' threatening Malays/Muslims in Malaysia," the
report said.

"He hoped that this would create a situation which would make
Muslims respond to calls for Jihad, and turn Malaysia and
Singapore into another 'Ambon'."

The targets in Singapore included vital water supply pipelines
from Malaysia, Changi airport, Jurong Island where Singapore's
oil refineries and petrochemical plants are based, and the
ministry of defense headquarters.

Other targets included a U.S. vessel at the Changi naval base,
and a pub which they believed to be frequented by U.S. military
personnel, the government said.

"So far, none of these efforts are known to have led to any
fully developed or finalized plan for attack," the report said.

It detailed the names of JI operatives who were to be involved
in each operation, as well as details photographs, maps and other
evidence found by Internal Security Department officers.

Hambali, also known as Riduan Isamuddin, is described as being
in charge of the JI in Malaysia and Singapore, and having direct
links to a key lieutenant in Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network.

Earlier Singapore reports named Hambali as the go-between who
arranged for Singaporeans to train at al-Qaeda camps.

The JI members in affluent Singapore were important to the
organization as a source of funds to fund cells, purchase
equipment and send JI members abroad for military training.

Many were sent to al-Qaeda camps in Afghanistan, with one
attending several training stints with the Moro Islamic
Liberation Front (MILF), the largest Muslim separatist force in
the Philippines, the report said.

Of the 21 arrested last month, 18 are being held under the
harsh Internal Security Act, which allows for detention without
trial.

The other three, "who did not participate in terrorism related
activities" are under restriction orders that forbid them leaving
the country or "having any contact with any militant
organization", the government said.

The 13 JI members, detained in December and said to be
planning to blow up the U.S. embassy and other Western targets,
are also being held in indefinite detention.

An earlier report on their arrests said they had all admitted
"terrorism-related" activity and were tied to a plot that would
have had catastrophic consequences if they had pulled it off.

A video tape of their likely targets was found in the
Afghanistan home of Mohammed Atef, the al-Qaeda military adviser
who was reportedly killed when his house was bombed by U.S.
forces last November.

In its latest report, the government said the additional 21
arrests had "severely disrupted" the Singapore JI network,
"however, the threat from regional JI elements remains" and
investigations were continuing.