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.