- Singapore embassies attack plot
The Singapore embassies attack plot was a plan in 2001 by the
Al-Qaeda -affiliatedJemaah Islamiyah (JI) tobomb thediplomatic missions and attackpersonnel of theUnited States ,Australia , theUnited Kingdom , andIsrael based inSingapore . There were also several other targets. The plot was uncovered in December 2001 and as many as 15 people were arrested in Singapore within a month. Further investigation and intelligence prompted the detention of another 26 persons from 2002 to 2005. As of 2006, 37 of them were still being detained without trial, under the Internal Security Act. Four had been released on restriction orders.JI branch in Singapore
The Singapore JI branch was started as early as 1993, when
Ibrahim Maidin underwent military training in Afghanistan and was subsequently appointed leader of JI in Singapore. By conducting religious classes, Maidin began recruiting other members into the JI organisation.cite news | title = Major Terrorist Plot in Singapore Discovered; al-Qaeda Believed Well Established in the Asian Region | url = http://www.emergency.com/2002/Singapore_terror02.htm | publisher = EmergencyNet News | author = Jeremy Zakis, and Steve Macko | date = 12 January 2002 ]At least eight of the sleeper cell members had received training in
Afghanistan .Riduan Isamuddin , the leader of JI who is better known as Hambali, had arranged their travels to Pakistan, using false documents and cover stories that they were accepted by a religious school for religious studies. They stayed in an al-Qaedasafe house in Pakistan before travelling to Afghanistan, where they received training in the use ofAK-47 s, mortars, and military tactics. Several members also attended a training camp in southern Philippines, known asCamp Hudaybiyya , set up byMoro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and run by Indonesian JI members.cite news| title = White Paper - The Jemaah Islamiyah Arrests and The Threat of Terrorism | publisher = Ministry of Home Affairs, Singapore | date = 9 January 2003 | url = http://www2.mha.gov.sg/mha/detailed.jsp?artid=667&type=4&root=0&parent=0&cat=0 ]The Singapore branch of JI was organised into at least three groups. The first cell, which was called "Fiah Ayub" (first cell) and the second cell was called "Fiah Musa". The Singapore branch was headed by Ibrahim Maidin and
Faiz bin Abi Bakar Bafana was the second in command. The Singapore branch was under the command of a Malaysia-based leadership structure called a regional "shura" (consultative council), within the larger network of JI organisation in Southeast Asia. Members of the cell did not attend localmosque or made little contact with other mainstreamIslam ic organisations in the country. The group operated in tight secrecy and were using code words in their communication.urveillance activities
According to investigation, the cell had conducted survey for other targets as early as 1997, when the cell was planning to target the
Yishun MRT Station , where American troops and their families used to take shuttle rides to an U.S. Navy site atSembawang for recreation activities at a sports complex incidentally known as "Terror Club", after the last Royal Navy's shore accomodation establishment around the same area - HMS Terror. [ cite web| title = Singapore MWR| publisher = Naval Regional Contracting Centre | url = http://www.clwp.navy.mil/mwr.htm ] In 1999, a member of the Singapore cell,Khalim Jaffar travelled to Afghanistan and presented the plan to Al Qaeda's leaders.Mohammed Atef , a close aide ofOsama bin Laden , gave JI the go-ahead for the attack, but the plan was not pursued for unknown reasons.In April 2001, a member of the cell, who was working at the
Singapore Technologies Aerospace , took digital photographs of American military aircraft and personnel atPaya Lebar Airbase , and distributed them to other cell members.The cell had also surveyed other potential targets including water pipelines at the
Johor-Singapore Causeway ,Singapore Changi Airport , the radar station atBiggin Hill , and the Ministry of Defence atBukit Gombak Embassies attack plot
On
October 7 ,2001 , a 30-year oldIndonesia n using a false Filipinopassport and aKuwait i on a false Canadian passport were sent to Singapore to activate thesleeper cell .cite news| url = http://www.singapore-window.org/sw02/020126ft.htm | title = 'Sleeper cells' in Singapore show al Qaeda's long reach | publisher = Financial Times, London | Author = Raymond Bonner and Seth Mydans | date = 26 January 2002] The two men that came,Fathur Rahman al-Ghozi , also known as Mike, and a man known as Sammy, directed the sleeper cell to conduct "final reconnaissance" and video recordings of potential targets. The two operatives gave instructions to the cell to prepare for attacks in Singapore. Among the targets were U.S. and Israeli Embassies, British and Australian High Commissions, and commercial buildings housing US firms. They plan to launch the attacks in December 2001/January 2002 or April/May 2002.Philippine authorities said that al-Ghozi, a bombmaker, had three Philippine passports and an Indonesian passport. Investigators later revealed al-Ghozi's ties with
Abu Bakar Bashir , the alleged spiritual head ofJemaah Islamiyah . al-Ghozi had studied in Bashir's religious school in Indonesia for six years. The other man, Sammy, was later identified asMohd Mansour Jabarah , a Canadian national of Arab descent, who was in US custody (as of 2003) and sentenced to life in prison in 2008.The cell members then set off to procure 17 tons of
explosive s, especially that ofammonium nitrate , along withtruck s andchemical s. JI has close ties withKumpulan Militan Malaysia (KMM), a militant group inMalaysia .Yazid Sufaat , a KMM member, had purchased 4 tons of ammonium nitrate which were already made available to the Singapore cell for the bombings.Failure of plot
After the
September 11, 2001 attacks , aninformant told theInternal Security Department aboutMuhammad Aslam Yar Ali Khan , who is a Singaporean citizen ofPakistan i descent and had made claims of having ties with Al-Qaeda. Khan was placed under surveillance, but he abruptly left Singapore forPakistan onOctober 4 . He was later captured byUnited Islamic Front for the Salvation of Afghanistan officials. His interrogation led investigators to the Singaporean cell.Singapore authorities conducted the first raid on
9 December 2001 , arresting six persons. A total of 15 persons were arrested within a month. During the raids, the police seized documents of the attack plots and bomb making information, as well as photographs and surveillance video of the intended targets including the embassies. Fake passports and forged immigration documents were also found.Soon after, a JI-made surveillance video was recovered among the rubbles of a house that was bombed by US coalition forces in
Kabul ,Afghanistan . It was the home ofMohammed Atef , a close aide ofOsama bin Laden . The video showed a narrator in Singapore,Hashim bin Abas , describing how bombs could be hidden to attackUnited States interests. Besides theembassies , the plotters were also planning to targetUnited States Air Force warplane s that were stationed at Paya Lebar Air Force Base, as well as several United States companies and businesses. There were also plans to attack U.S. Navywarship s along Singapore's coastlines, similar to theUSS Cole bombing inYemen in October 2000. [cite news | title = Dire Straits: The war on terror's Singapore front. | url = http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/002/278ehjov.asp | author = Austin Bay | date = 3 March 2003 | publisher = The Weekly Standard ]The JI group were also plotting to attack
United States Navy personnel and their families who often traveled between theYishun MRT Station andSembawang Wharf via shuttle buses. The video also detailed how bombs could be planted in thesewer s and drains near the Yishun MRT Station in order to cause massive casualties when targeting United States personnel. The video also showed a man describing how explosive can be strapped on bicycles and be transported without raising suspicion. Investigators in Singapore had found similar tapes at the residence of Mohamed Khalim bin Jaffar, one of arrested JI members. The Singapore government presented these material as evidences of a direct link between the JI group and the Al-Qaeda. [cite news | url = http://www.channelnewsasia.com/cna/arrests/release1_020124.htm | title = "The Link of the Yishun Videotape" Press Release, | date =14 January 2002 | publisher = ChannelNews Asia]On
15 January 2002 ,Fathur Rahman al-Ghozi was arrested by authorities in the Philippines. He gave police information that led to a cache of rifles, explosive and bomb-making material in Southern Philippines. [cite web| title = Fathur Rahman al-Ghozi | url = http://www.globalsecurity.org/security/profiles/fathur_rahman_al-ghozi.htm | publisher = Global Security] These were believed to be part of the embassies attack plot.In August 2002, ISD conducted another major security operation and arrested 18 persons, most of them were members of JI, while two were members of the
Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), a militant separatist group in the Philippines.Aftermath
Heighten security
Following the arrests, the U.S., British and Australian embassies in Singapore are placed on heightened alert. Members of the elite
Gurkha Contingent of theSingapore Police Force are posted at the embassies to enhance their security.Timeline
Timeline of plot, arrests and related incidents.
* 1993 - Sleeper cell began to form in Singapore.
* 1997 - Cell conducted surveillance at Yishun MRT station
* April 2001 - Cell conducted surveillance atPaya Lebar Airbase .
*11 September 2001 - Coordinated series of terrorist attacks in the United States byAl-Qaeda .
* September 2001 - An informant toldInternal Security Department of Muhammad Aslam Yar Ali Khan's ties with Al-Qaeda. Ali Khan was placed under surveillance.
*4 October 2001 - Muhammad Aslam Yar Ali Khan left for Pakistan, he was soon captured by Northern Alliance.
*7 October 2001 - U.S. invaded Afghanistan.
*7 October 2001 -Fathur Rahman al-Ghozi and Sammy arrived in Singapore to direct sleeper cell.
*9 December 2001 - ISD arrested 6 people. A total of 15 people would be arrested in December 2001.
* January 2002 - 2 people were released on Restriction Order
*15 January 2002 - Al-Ghozi was arrested in the Philippinines, a large cache of explosives was uncovered
* August 2002 - ISD arrested another 21 people
* September 2002 - 3 people were released on Restriction Order
*12 October 2002 - Bali bombing by Jemaah Islamiyah.List of detainees
;List of persons arrested in December 2001/January 2002 [cite news| title =Singapore Government Press Statement On ISA Arrests | url = http://www2.mha.gov.sg/mha/detailed.jsp?artid=215&type=4&root=0&parent=0&cat=0&mode=arc | date = 11 January 2002 | publisher = Ministry of Home Affairs ]
*
Ibrahim Maidin , leader of Singapore JI branch
* Faiz bin Abu Bakar Bafana, second-in-command
* Mohamed Khalim bin Jaffar, leader of "Fiah Ayub" (first cell)
* Fazi Abu Bakar Bafana,
* Hashim bin Abas,
* Mohamed Nazir bin Mohmmed Uthman,
* Adnan bin Musa,
* Andrew Gerard @ Ali Ridhaa bin Abdullah,
* Halim bin Hussain,
* Mohamad Anuar bin Margono,
* Ja'afar bin Mistooki,
* Mohamed Ellias s/o Mohamed Khan,
* Othman bin Mohamed,;List of persons arrested in August/September 2002:
* Ab Wahab bin Ahmad
* Syed Ibrahim
* Simon bin Sabtu
* Mohamed Noor bin Sulaimi,
* Munain bin Turru,
* Naharudin bin Sabtu,
* Sanin bin Riffin,
* Nordin bin Parman,
* Mohd Jauhari bin Abdullah,
* Salim bin Marwan,
* Mahfuh bin Haji Halimi,
* Azman bin Jalani,
* Said bin Ismail,
* Faiz Abdullah Ashiblie,
* Zulkifli bin Mohamed Jaffar,
* Habibullah s/o Hameed,
* Husin bin Ab Aziz,
* Abdul Majid s/o Niaz Mohamed. Detained in September 2002, released in April 2005.;Detained between October 2002 and December 2003
* Mohd Aslam bin Yar Ali Khan
* Arifin bin Ali,
* Muhammad Arif bin Naharudin
* Muhammad Amin bin Mohd Yunos
* Hosnay bin Awi,
* Alahuddeen bin Abdullah
* Faisel bin Abdullah Abdat. Detained in February 2003, released in October 2002;Detained in 2005
* Jahpar bin Osman. Detained on 21 April 2005ee also
*
Jemaah Islamiyah
*2002 Bali bombing
*Counter-terrorism in Singapore References
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