01/17/2002
EDITORIAL NUMBER=0-09651

TERRORIST ATTACK FOILED

A planned series of terrorist attacks against the United States and other Western countries has been foiled by authorities in Singapore. Jemaah Islamiah [jah-mah is-lahm-ee-ah], an extremist group linked to the Al-Qaida terrorist network, was evidently preparing to bomb U.S. military facilities and personnel, the U.S. Embassy, and American businesses. Also targeted were British, Australian, and Israeli diplomats. Thirteen members of Jemaah Islamiah are in custody. "The plan was developed and ready for activation," said a Singapore official.

A videotape found in the ruins of an Al-Qaida safe house in Afghanistan showed residential areas and recreational centers used by American military personnel in Singapore. Also found was a list of more than two-hundred American companies in Singapore.

Authorities believe the tape and lists were being used to plan terrorist attacks. One of the Jemaah Islamiah detainees was a technician with Singapore Technologies Aerospace. He is reported to have taken more than fifty photographs of a Singapore air base used by U.S. military planes. He also reportedly collected information on the aircraft and the movement of base personnel.

Jemaah Islamiah is said to be part of a network with cells in Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore. Authorities say that in September and October, two foreigners, now in detention, joined the Singapore cell. One is described as a bomb-maker and a member of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, a Muslim insurgent group in the Philippines. The other is an Al-Qaida operative.

The two terrorists are said to have told their Singapore associates that they had four tons of ammonium nitrate in Malaysia and wanted to purchase an additional seventeen tons to make truck bombs. Eight of the thirteen terrorist suspects detained by Singapore, including the group's leader, Ibrahim Maiden, were reportedly trained in Afghanistan in Al-Qaida camps. Investigators found other evidence linking Al-Qaida to the planned attacks in Singapore. This includes altered passports and forged immigration stamps.

As the Singapore plot shows, Al-Qaida and its associated terrorist groups are a deadly threat to Asia and the entire world. But with effective international cooperation, they can and will be defeated.