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| Southeast Asia |
| Abu Sayyaf expecting cash shipment from JI via Saudi "aid worker" |
| 2005-08-29 |
| THE al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf expects fresh funds from overseas to be brought into the country by a Saudi posing as a humanitarian aid worker, according to government reports and police officials. The money the Arab is bringing in is for suicide bombings, possibly in Metro Manila, even though suicide missions have failed here, according to a classified government report issued in April. The report was based on messages exchanged by an Indonesian, Dulmatin, and a Jemaah Islamiah leader who escorts operatives for training in the Southern Philippines. Dulmatin, or Pitono, is believed to be involved in the Bali bombings that killed about 200 people; he is now in southern Maguindanao province under the protection of the Abu Sayyaf chieftain Khadaffy Janjalani. A police official, speaking on condition on anonymity, said the Saudi is a frequent visitor to the Philippines. The Saudi, who the official would not identify, travels to the country at least twice a year to inspect livelihood and other projects funded by his group, a legitimate charitable institution. âHe inspects projects so he can go around Mindanao,â the official said. Muslim charitable organizations have been used as a legal cover to allow terrorists to enter and travel around the Philippines, particularly the southern region of Mindanao, without coming under suspicion. The strategy was perfected in the early 1990s by MohamÂmad al-Khaliffa, the brother-in-law of the al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden, who put up several charitable institutions that engaged in legitimate welfare activities like out-reach programs to depressed Muslim communities, medical missions and scholarships for Muslim youth. A portion of the donations collected by these groups is then transferred to the fundamentalist group of their choice to fund their bombing missions. Another method of chanÂneling funds is through the courier services that deliver money orders door to door and is popular among overseas Filipino workers who remit money to their families in the Philippines. âBut itâs not as easy [to receive funds from abroad] as before because weâve identified and frozen the bank accounts they use to receive the money,â the official said. The official acknowledged that the Saudi might have traveled to the Philippines earlier this year. The report says the Saudi was in Indonesia around April. âHeâs legitimate. His organization is legitimate. But we can get him through the paper trail,â the official said, adding that the police are coordinating with foreign counterparts to bust the Saudiâs operations. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #2 so why isn't the Saudi's head shipped back? |
| Posted by: Frank G 2005-08-29 23:05 |
| #1 Saudi humanitarian aid worker Is that an oxymoron or what? |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2005-08-29 15:23 |