Sunday, March 06, 2005

26 Indonesian terrorist currently training in Lanao

From Malaya:

26 Indons in Lanao for terrorist training
Arroyo's deportation of financier derailed hunt


TWO groups of Indonesians arrived separately in Mindanao in January for extensive training in a terrorist camp in Lanao del Sur.

The first group of 21 arrived on Jan. 21. The remaining five landed in Mindanao, through Malaysia, on Jan. 28.

The two groups came with two trainers identified as Abulkiram and Mujair al-Ghozi, brother of the late Fathur al-Ghozi who was identified as responsible for bombings in Metro Manila and in Davao....

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front, military intelligence sources said, facilitated the movement of the two groups.

An independent source provided this newspaper with the identities of some in the first group of 21 terrorist trainees. They are Anwar Narsid, Sahibon Gulam, Farhan Jiahod, Zil Autad, Gafor Wadood, Omar Amiril, Farnan Dawalis, Ishaq Buday, Zainal Mandaya, Hasim Mufri, Watani Azibul, Farouk Rajab, Burhan Usungan, Nur Salih, Jazali Mauladie, Hesam Abdul Guimadil Mojib and Habib Taloot.

The source said the Indonesian terrorist-trainees could have been tracked down and arrested if President Arroyo had not allowed the deportation to Saudi Arabia of Al Sughayir, a known financier of the Al Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiah in Asia.

Sughayir was arrested in Zamboanga on Jan. 17 but the Saudi Arabian ambassador allegedly "pressured" Arroyo during a flight to Mindanao in a commercial airplane on Jan. 25.

The Saudi Arabian terrorist financier was deported the following day.


Sughayir was scheduled for more tactical interrogation which intelligence officers say could have led the military to the lair of the Indonesians who are undergoing training.

Sughayir is said to lay his hands on more money from donors in Saudi Arabia every time he shows them pictures of terrorist attacks in the Philippines and Indonesia.

The two groups are being trained for attacks in the Philippines and in their own country.

According to the source, the two groups of Indonesians are now in Camp Magaturing in Lanao del Sur. They spend the night in hastily built bunks. A house of worship was built for them.

According to the Malaya source, the first two months are devoted to a program consisting of military leadership, disguised as islamization program, Aqida Islamiah (principles of Islam), Hifzul Quran (memorizing Koran verses), Tafsier (interpretation of jihad verses in the Koran), Tabbiyah Islamiah (Islam practices).

Nawaz and Ghosi were to serve as trainers of the two Indonesian groups.

The operation is said to be funded by at least P5 million (denominated in Indonesian rupiah) delivered by hand to Nawaz by Sughayir.

It is said that the MILF facilitated the movements of the two Indonesian groups from a place called Kudat in Malaysia to Camp Magaturing in Lanao del Sur.

The first group of 21 travelled by sea from an unidentified location in Indonesia and sailed to Marampayan, Kudat, Sabah.

In Marampayan, the group stayed in a safehouse provided by MILF emissary (ambassador) Ismael Haraiba for one day while waiting for a speed boat to bring them to Mindanao.

On Jan. 15, the group again travelled by sea for 12 hours until it reached Kidayan, Palimbang, Sultan Kudarat.

They were met in Batang Bagras, Palimbang, by a supposed caretaker, Mustapha Hassim, said to be a nephew of the late MILF chairman Salamat Hashim.

An Elf truck is said to have picked up the members of the group in Montawal, Maguindanao, and brought them to Camp Magaturing, Lanao del Sur.

And here's the update.

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