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| North Africa |
| ’Terror High’: Inside the school of atrocity |
| 2002-12-11 |
| Busy day for JI news. TWO of the teachers are in custody over the Bali blast. The headmaster is on the run, accused of belonging to a terrorist group. A school board member allegedly provided the funds for the Bali bombings while one of Asia's most wanted terrorists occasionally lived on campus. Welcome to the Luqmanul Hakiem school - a tiny religious college set in dense jungle in Malaysia's far south, which is now known as "Terror High". Perfect for a TV movie except that there is no sexy cheerleader. Every week, a new connection is emerging between the private school and the Bali attacks. Set deep among a large palm plantation and backing on to untouched jungle, the school was frequented by an A to Z of South-East Asian terrorists, including those responsible for the Bali attacks. The campus was established in the mid 1990s by two Indonesians: Abdullah Sungkar and Abu Bakir Bashir, the founders of the JI terror network. Bashir is currently in police custody in Jakarta awaiting questioning in connection with a series of bombings of churches and is suspected of having knowledge of the Bali attacks. Sungkar died in 1999 but was previously a guest of al-Qaeda boss Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan and an enthusiastic supporter of jihad. Senior teachers at the school included the current JI leader Ali Gufron, aka Mukhlas, who has been described as the mastermind of the Bali attacks. His number two in the bombing, Imam Samudra, was a pupil and later returned as a teacher. Mukhlas' brother Amrozi, who bought the Mitsubishi L300 for the bombings, was also a regular visitor to the school. One of the logistics experts for the bombing - Idris - is also believed to have visited the school several times. Another frequent visitor was one of the world's most wanted terrorists, Hambali. On the school committee was Wan Min, 42, a Malaysian university lecturer who is alleged to have acted as the bagman to finance the Bali bombing. Malaysian authorities said they shut down the school because it was not registered but earlier this year police raided the property and took away documents and equipment. The school has about 10 class rooms, dormitory style accommodation, a basketball court a soccer field and a mosque. Locals said about 200 children aged from eight to their mid teens attended the school. Residents in a nearby village said they had seen children as young as seven taken for walks through a nearby cemetery to "toughen them up". Shopkeeper Norazhari Othman said: "It was thought that staying in the cemetery overnight was part of school training to prepare them to be tough and not fear anything." "Don't fear the Reaper" In a worrying twist, many of the older students have vanished since the school was shut down - sparking fears the next generation of terror graduates are already on the loose. Just say you are having a reunion and see how many show up. |
| Posted by:Steve |