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| International |
| Filipino in court in Northern Ireland over JI funding |
| 2004-02-04 |
| A Filipino man appeared in a court in Northern Ireland on Wednesday accused of assisting a terrorist group linked to the al-Qaeda organisation by obtaining money and property. Jaybe Ofrasio, 31, was arrested last week following an international police operation which stretched as far as Australia and the Philippines, as well as Northern Ireland, the court heard. Ofrasio, identified as a cleaner and catering assistant living in Belfast, faces two charges of making funds and property available to a terrorist group. Detective Inspector Mark Brown told the court that Ofrasio was believed to be linked to the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) terrorist organisation. The JI is thought to be the Southeast Asian arm of Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaeda network, and is blamed for October 2002 bombings in Bali, Indonesia that left over 200 dead. Yes, they are and yes, they did. The investigation into Ofrasio took in a series of telephone records and financial transactions, Detective Inspector Brown told Belfast Magistrates Court. "The nature of the evidence will be computerised, there will be financial and telephone evidence which is being looked at," he said. "We conducted a number of searches in Belfast and a number of searches in the Philippines and we are looking to connect them." Wonder if he was working with any of the IRA on a exchange program, or if it was a seperate operation? Ofrasio’s wife, a nurse at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast, had also been brought in for questioning but was later released without charge. "Don’t leave town." |
| Posted by:Steve |