Article

2003-08-15 Southeast Asia

Hambali kept low profile in quiet Thai tourist town

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Posted by Steve 2003-08-15 10:53:01 AM|| || Front Page|| [3 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 A few more details:
Asia's most wanted man, now clean-shaven and his face altered by plastic surgery, was arrested with a woman by Thai and U.S. officials in Ayutthaya, the ancient Thai capital 50 miles north of Bangkok, a senior Thai general said. "A special flight from the United States picked him up at Bangkok airport Wednesday morning," said the general, who declined to be identified.
Hambali, born Riduan Isamuddin, and his wife were flown home to Indonesia, a Thai government minister said. Indonesia's police chief said he was unaware of the transfer and a U.S. official in Bangkok said Washington was unlikely to reveal his location soon. The Muslim cleric, son of peasant farmers on the main Indonesian island of Java, crossed into Thailand last week from Laos using a fake Spanish passport, a police general said. "He was not wearing a beard and he had had plastic surgery," he said. "He used a Spanish passport with a long, confusing Spanish name."

Posted by Steve 2003-8-15 2:15:05 PM|| 2003-8-15 2:15:05 PM|| Front Page Top

#2 More from Bangkok Post:
Local intelligence sources said information they had obtained indicated Hambali was in Thailand to plan a terrorist attack during the Apec summit during Oct 20-22, to be attended by world leaders including US President George W. Bush.
``From what we got, we are quite confident he was here to plan terrorist attacks during the Apec summit. He was not here just to seek safe haven as he claimed during interrogation but he was here to map out a plan, prepare weapons and set up an operative cell for the planned attack,'' said an informed intelligence source who played a role in Monday's arrest. Another defence source said Hambali had sought refuge in Thailand during the past two months and his arrest was directly linked to the arrest of another senior Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) figure, Yazid Zubair, who was arrested in southern Thailand in July. ``His (Yazid Zubair's) capture eventually led us to Hambali's trail,'' said the sources. Zubair, also known for his strong ties to al Qaeda, was believed to be a critical link in JI's financial dealings, with particular responsibility for operations in Cambodia and Thailand.
Hambali, dubbed by the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) as the ``Osama bin Laden of Southeast Asia'', was accompanied by his wife Norran Viza, 35, a Malaysian, and another two assistants when he was arrested on Monday night on a tip from US secret agents. During questioning, Hambali, who travelled on a fake Spanish passport, was quoted as admitting being actively involved in the Bali resort bomb attack on Oct 12, 2002, which killed 202 people, mainly Australians. Hambali denied he was in Bangkok to sabotage the Apec meeting.
``He just says that he wanted to seek safe haven in Thailand with his wife because Thailand is receptive and safe,'' said the source. This was not the first time that a suspected JI member was arrested in Thailand. Several have been arrested here in the past several years. JI had around 20 members operating in Thailand, the source said.
An intelligence source said Hambali entered Thailand in 2000 and made a second visit in March 2002, where he was spotted in the South. The source said Supreme Commander Gen Surayud Chulanont, who is director of anti-terrorist centre, had told his forces to search for Hambali in March this year when he received intelligence reports from allies which suggested Hambali had again entered Thailand.

Posted by Steve 2003-8-15 3:37:18 PM|| 2003-8-15 3:37:18 PM|| Front Page Top

#3 Good hunting!

Posted by seafarious 2003-8-15 4:26:47 PM|| 2003-8-15 4:26:47 PM|| Front Page Top

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