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Sweeping Asian terror alliance uncovered
Staff and wires
SINGAPORE -- A sweeping alliance of militant Islamic groups in Southeast Asia, with close links to Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network, has been stirring up homegrown conflict aimed at toppling the region's secular governments in favor of Islamist states, the Singapore government says. Officials revealed the existence of Rabitatul Mujahideen -- made up of at least nine Muslim militant groups, according to intelligence documents obtained by CNN -- whose leader is al Qaeda operative Riduan Isamuddin, also known as Hambali. After arresting 15 members of Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) in December 2001 and 21 more suspected terrorists last month, the Singapore government said its investigation had revealed that the leaders of Jemaah Islamiyah, a Singapore-based militant group, had formed Rabitatul Mujahideen to coordinate their efforts to disrupt Southeast Asia and strike at U.S. interests. The attacks were also designed to create tension between Singapore and neighboring Malaysia, Singapore's Ministry of Home Affairs said in a statement. "The aim was to create a situation in Malaysia and Singapore conducive to overthrowing the Malaysian government and making Malaysia an Islamic state," the ministry statement said. In the documents obtained by CNN, the groups united under the umbrella of Rabitatul Mujahideen included the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in the Philippines, Laska Jundullah in Indonesia, and Kumpulan Majelis Muhajideen in Malaysia. Nineteen of the men arrested last month were said to be JI members, and the remaining two were allegedly MILF members. The plans, the government said, include fanning religious dissent in places like Ambon, Indonesia, or ethnic conflict between nations like Singapore and Malaysia. The goal, the government said, is an Islamic Asian "superstate" making up Malaysia, Indonesia, Mindanao, Singapore and Brunei. According to the government, Hambali began activating sleeper cells in 1999, sending members to training camps in Afghanistan, the Philippines and Malaysia, and stepping up recruitment efforts. "A few have undergone military training at al Qaeda camps in Afghanistan and at the MILF's Camp Abu Bakar in Mindanao," the government statement said. Sept. 11 plannerIn Singapore, the militants planned to target water pipelines, Changi Airport and Biggin Hill Radar Station, Jurong Island and the Singapore Ministry of Defense. The JI members had also planned to target an American vessel at Changi Naval Base in late 2001, and a pub they believed to be popular with American service members. The suspects, arrested in August, are said to all be Singaporean citizens and are being held under Singapore's Internal Security Act. "These latest arrests have seriously disrupted the JI network in Singapore, " an earlier government statement said, adding: "There is no known imminent security threat from other JI elements in Singapore. Hambali and Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the man the United States says was a key planner of the September 11 attacks, were part of a terrorist cell busted in the Philippines in 1995. Their plans at that time included hijacking commercial planes to fly into buildings in the United States. Anti-American agendaOn the day before the September 11 attacks, Mohammed sent another al Qaeda operative, Mohammed Mansour Jabarah, to help Hambali's group carry out attacks against U.S. embassies and other Western interests in the region. Jabarah and another al Qaeda operative who was active in Southeast Asia, Omar al-Faruq, are both in custody. Hambali and Mohammed, however, are still at large. Hambali also has direct links to former al Qaeda military chief Mohammed Atef, who was killed during U.S. raids in Afghanistan in November 2001. Last December, Singaporean officials announced they had arrested 15 people it said were planning attacks on U.S. interests. Singapore intelligence officials revealed to CNN last month of plans to create an Islamic state from Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore to parts of the Philippines, Thailand and Myanmar. They say Osama bin Laden has turned terrorism into a franchise, focusing on Muslim separatist groups in Southeast Asia and offering them support if they merge their goals with his anti-American agenda. (Islamic super state) -- CNN's Jakarta Bureau Chief Maria Ressa contributed to this report
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