THREE terrorist cells, made up of ordinary Singaporeans target US interests

THREE terrorist cells, made up of ordinary Singaporeans living in Housing Board flats and with jobs such as drivers and technicians, had been plotting for years to attack targets here, including those in Changi and Yishun.

They took direction from and communicated with foreigners, some of whom they knew only by code names.

TERRORIST CELLS IN SINGAPORE

These were among the fresh revelations the Government made yesterday, six days after it first announced the arrests of 15 people by the Internal Security Department for involvement in terrorism-related acts.

It said yesterday that 13 of the 15, all except one of them Singaporean citizens, had been issued two-year detention orders under the Internal Security Act.

They were members of the ''Jemaah Islamiah'' (JI), a clandestine network which has cells in Malaysia and Indonesia. The three cells here were ''Fiah Ayub'', ''Fiah Musa'' and ''Fiah Ismail''.

Aged between 27 and 51, the 13 detained comprised six Malays, five Indians, and one each of Javanese and Boyanese descent, and were hitherto-unknown figures in the Muslim community.

The remaining two, both Singaporeans, were released on Sunday, after they were confirmed not to be part of JI. They were served with restriction orders barring them from further contact with any terrorist organisation.

One of the JI cells attempted to procure 17 tonnes of ammonium nitrate, a chemical often used in truck bombs and which was used in the 1995 Oklahoma bombing in the US.

This was under the direction of two foreigners, one calling himself ''Sammy'' and believed to be linked to Al-Qaeda, the other calling himself ''Mike'' and believed to be a trainer and bomb-maker with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front in the Philippines.

The attempt was foiled when ISD arrested the man doing the procuring, Mohamed Ellias.

Another JI cell undertook video surveillance of the Yishun MRT station, part of a plan to attack a private shuttle-bus service used to ferry US personnel from Sembawang Wharf to Yishun MRT station.

The videotape and some handwritten debriefing notes in Arabic were later found in the rubble of an Al-Qaeda leader's house in Afghanistan.

Apparently also targeted for attack were US naval vessels in the waters between Changi and Pulau Tekong.

''The group appeared to be dominated by foreign elements and subscribed to these elements' extremist ideology and its anti-American, anti-West agenda,'' the Government said. It said their activities began long before the Sept 11 attacks in the US.

The first JI cell began surveying terrorist targets as early as 1997, led by a printer, Mohamed Khalim Jaffar, 39.

Of the eight confirmed to have gone to Afghanistan for training in Al-Qaeda camps, one went as early as 1991.

The JI's local leader, an Indian Muslim condominium manager and part-time ustaz or religious teacher, Ibrahim Maidin, went in 1993.

The courses they took in Afghanistan included the use of AK-47s and mortars, and the study of military tactics.

The Government said the 13, none of whom had ever attended madrasahs, or Islamic religious schools, were recruited into the JI when they were part of Ibrahim Maidin's religious classes. They were not known to be active members of any particular mosque or local Muslim organisation.

''They maintained tight operational secrecy, using code names and code words for communication,'' it said.

''Several suspect operations cell members have fled the country and efforts are being made, in cooperation with... neighbouring countries, to locate them.''

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THE US Embassy in Singapore has expressed its confidence in the ability of the Singapore Government to protect American citizens and institutions here.

It said in a statement last night: ''We are appreciative of their determined efforts.Singapore remains a safe place to live or do business. Because investigations are ongoing, it would be inappropriate for the embassy to comment about the specifics of the case.''

Malaysian story (recent, unsure of date)

Link

PRIME MINISTER Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad said that some 50 Malaysians have links with the al-Qaeda group besides military training in Afghanistan.

About 40 people have been detained since last August as part of an operation on Islamic militants. “What we know is that these people admitted they were trained in Afghanistan by the Taliban and by the group of Osama bin Laden,” said Dr Mahathir yesterday.

“As far as we know, their intentions are bad, to create trouble and to try and overthrow the government by terrorist means.”

The New Straits Times yesterday published an interview with Dr Mahathir by a Japanese magazine Chuokoron, in which he answered a question about whether Malaysians were linked to al-Qaeda.

“Yes, about 50. We have tracked down quite a number of them,” he was quoted as telling the monthly magazine.

Malaysia first arrested 10 people last August, accusing them of belonging to the Kumpulan Militan Malaysia (KMM), an Afghan-trained Islamic militant group linked to unsolved bombings, robberies and the murder of a local State assemblyman.

They were planning to set up a purist Islamic state in Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines. When Malaysia announced 13 more arrests last week, Singapore said it had detained up to 15 members of the Jemaah Islamiah group.

Dr Mahathir said the KMM-al-Qaeda link had not been clearly established. “Whether they have become a cell in Malaysia or not, or whether they have been working independently, we don’t know.”

He said these people, who are held under the Internal Security Act, will be charged with the relevant crimes if evidence is found.

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And another story of January 11: Osama link in Fernandez killing PM: Attack on police station was by same people

KUALA LUMPUR, Fri. — The assassination of Lunas state assemblyman Dr Joe Fernandez and the attack on the Guar Chempedak police station last year were the work of those aligned with Osama bin Laden, Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad said today.

The Prime Minister said police investigations showed that members of a "cell" of the Kumpulan Militan Malaysia carried out these attacks with the ultimate aim of overthrowing the Government....

"Where they are involved in definite crimes, like the murder of the state assemblyman, and if we can find enough proof, we will try them but the ISA as you know is a preventive law." Dr Mahathir said those detained under the ISA had admitted they were trained in Afghanistan by the Taliban and by Osama's group.

The authorities had yet to conclude investigations into the extent of terrorist activities in the country.

"But as far as we are concerned their intentions are very bad, namely to create trouble and to overthrow the Government through terrorism," Dr Mahathir said.

He said the group's chain of command, via the cell system, was similar to that of communist terrorists who posed a threat to the country years ago....

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