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| Southeast Asia |
| More on the Malaysian busts |
| 2006-05-31 |
| THEIR aim was to wreak havoc in several neighbouring countries of Malaysia. But with the arrest of 12 men, Malaysian police believe it has blunted the efforts of a new terror group. However, it is not known what the group's targets were or when it planned to strike. The Star reported today that the capture of this 'dirty dozen' was the Malaysian police's biggest success against terrorism since the crackdown on Kumpulan Mujahidin Malaysia (KMM), which had links with the Jemaah Islamiyah terror network. The 12 men were arrested off the coasts of Sandakan and Tawau in Sabah following months of surveillance. The men are believed to be members of Darul Islam. Though most of its members are Indonesians, two of those arrested were Malaysians. Malaysian police had learnt that some members of the group would be in 'transit' in Malaysia while on their way to neighbouring countries and so kept a watch. Their work paid off. 'It was hard work. The Malaysian police had been tracking their movements over the last six months. Then they moved in to smash the militant group before it could carry out its plans. It is certainly one of the biggest anti-terrorist successes,' a source told The Star. The source said the police seized several firearms and documents, including bomb-making instructions downloaded from the Internet. Of the Malaysians arrested, one is a religious teacher with a degree in Arabic literature from a university in Syria, while the other is a graduate from Universiti Sains Malaysia in Penang. Their job was to organise lodging, transport and other logistical requirements for the group. Even though the Darul Islam was described by the newspaper as a new terror outfit, the group has been around for more than 50 years, and its aim is to establish an Indonesian Islamic state. At least 11 members of the group are already in detention in Malaysia. They are being held at the Kamunting detention centre in Perak. Malaysian police are investigating if Darul Islam has links with the Abu Sayyaf terror group based in the Philippines and Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda. Regional analysts said that it was no surprise that police were keeping a close watch on Sabah. One risk analyst in Singapore, who was not named, told The Star: 'It is close to the southern Philippines, where terror camps have been set up, and Indonesia. Sabah is also important economically. It is a popular international destination.' According to The Straits Times, Darul Islam was founded in 1948. The only Malaysian mujahideen group known so far is the KMM, established in mid-1990. Its objective is to create a pan-South-east Asian Islamic caliphate. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |