The Ulu Tiram police station in Johor Bahru, which was attacked by a Jemaah Islamiyah member on Friday. – Bernama pic, May 20, 2024
Don’t dismiss Jemaah Islamiyah’s role in Ulu Tiram attack – Andrin Raj
Investigations reveal terror group’s classic traits
20 May, 2024
THE suspected Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) attacker as well as its members arrested in light of the recent attack at the police station in Ulu Tiram, Johor Bahru, raises some issues on the threat of JI in Malaysia.
Despite the authorities having established that the perpetrator does not belong to the JI terror group, investigations into the linkages of current terrorist groups operating within the region and having ties to Malaysia must be seriously considered.
Members of the perpetrator’s family claiming to be members of JI and materials including ideological links found during a raid on their home are a concern as Neo-JI has abandoned all of the remaining cells (called “Mantiqis” and divided into Mantiqi I, II, III and IV in Southeast Asia).
Hence, to what extent does JI play a role in this current attack or has it shifted to an individual stand-alone Mantiqi Ula (1) and now has a new leader for Malaysia?
Prior to the current terror attack in Malaysia on May 17, we must note that JI re-emerged after internal conflicts between members and following this Abu Bakar Bashir and Abdullah Sungkar renamed JI to Jamaah Ansharut Tauhid (JAT), which still uses the same ideological doctrines from the original JI, where in 2014 Bashir pledged allegiance to the Islamic State.
According to Nasir Abbas, resource person to the Nordic Counter Terrorism Network (NCTN) and the International Association for Counterterrorism and Security Professionals’ (IACSP) anti-terror programme run in Indonesia, JI has not totally been eradicated but they have survived by using the name “Tansim Siri,” meaning “Underground.”
Members who still belonged to the original JI still communicated with existing Mantiqis operating within Southeast Asia. Although JI was being neutralised in the region after the 9/11 attacks, they survived, remained and regrouped within the core regional environment by going low profile.
According to JI´s general guidelines, the Pedoman Umum Perjuangan Jamaah Islamiyah, the highest leader would be the emir.
The title was held first by Sungkar and later held by Bashir. JI established four Mantiqis to cover the Southeast Asian region and Oceania in 1997.
Hambali was head of Mantiqi Ula (1) in Malaysia. Mantiqi Ula (1) was designated as its main economic hub, according to Nasir Abbas. JI developed schools named “Pasantren” and one of these was the Lukmanul Hakiem school in the state of Johor.
This school delivered the most recruited JI members for Malaysia, however only those high achievers and religiously inclined were invited to join JI.
JI composed the Islamic Briefing Material as JI´s manual in understanding Islam based on JI´s 10 principles narrated by JI itself. The main identification in the briefing material was that “faith” must coincide with Islamic laws and to uphold these principles at all times. These are the components as to why the suspected JI attacker may have committed the act of violence.
Naturally, the Malaysian police are a target as they adhere to the democratic laws of the nation and similar with the trespassers that wanted an audience with the Malaysian King as he is head of Islam.
Looking forward to the present, Neo-JI was established in 2008 and the latest emir was Para Wijayanto, who is now in detention.
This raises concerns in the current investigations on the attacks by the Malaysian authorities. Which JI is it? Neo-JI has abandoned all of its links to Mantiqis within the Southeast Asian region. If the perpetrator was a JI member to whom was he aligned?
To carry out an attack under the existing Mantiqi Ula (1), the attacker would have needed the approval of the emir and the only emir exists in Indonesia – which is Para Wijayanto of Neo-JI and Bashir of JAT!
With this fact, the links clearly point to JI Tansim Sri or the Underground as the materials found relate to the old JI. The family was considered “low profile” by the community and they never raised any suspicion among their neighbours. This is a clear indication of the Tansim Sri approach to laying low.
The perpetrator is suspected of being a member of JI and the only JI that links to the old JI is JAT, the Tansim Sri or the Underground.
The perpetrator would then need to only report or get instructions from the emir, which is Bashir from JAT – and JAT was formerly JI, which Mantiqi Ula (1) is governed by.
If Mantiqi Ula (1) is still operational, who is he reporting to? Is it the emir of JAT or is there a new emir for Mantiqi Ula (1) for Malaysia or Para Wijayanto of Neo-JI? The threat of JI has never been neutralised completely within the region as stated by Nasir Abbas.
NCTN-IACSP has been monitoring JI´s evolving and adapting operations and it has also delivered to the authorities on the existing threat that JI poses to Indonesia as well as the Southeast Asian region including Malaysia.
The launch of IS´ Media in Malaysia in March of last year, and its Arabic translation to Bahasa Malaysia this year, on instructions to carry out terror attacks by different weapons and modus operandi clearly indicates that IS has a strong presence in Malaysia.
Most localised terror organisations in Southeast Asia have pledged allegiance to IS to hitch their wagon to a brand name, and they can now evolve and reorganise their operational capabilities with the support of IS.
Terror financing is pouring into the region via legitimate sources within the banking industry, and law enforcement agencies are not able to clearly pinpoint this illegal funding.
NCTN-IACSP has been monitoring money laundering by foreign jihadists in the region as well as state actors for terrorism, and evidence provided shows this has been ongoing for decades.
IS has a foothold within the region and they have garnered support structures from all local Islamist groups in the region. As Nasir Abbas has stated, Malaysia remains an economic sanctuary with the ease of being a “safe haven” for jihadists. This includes terror financing and support structures for Islamist extremism to further their goals within the region.
In light of the current investigations, the Malaysian authorities must assess the links between IS, the old JI as well as Neo-JI to further identify the current threats to Malaysia and the region and to collaborate regionally to share information in order to identify the new trends.
The current threat landscape is bigger than expected with IS emerging strongly within the Southeast Asian region. – May 20, 2024
Don’t dismiss Jemaah Islamiyah’s role in Ulu Tiram attack – Andrin Raj
Investigations reveal terror group’s classic traits
20 May, 2024
THE suspected Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) attacker as well as its members arrested in light of the recent attack at the police station in Ulu Tiram, Johor Bahru, raises some issues on the threat of JI in Malaysia.
Despite the authorities having established that the perpetrator does not belong to the JI terror group, investigations into the linkages of current terrorist groups operating within the region and having ties to Malaysia must be seriously considered.
Members of the perpetrator’s family claiming to be members of JI and materials including ideological links found during a raid on their home are a concern as Neo-JI has abandoned all of the remaining cells (called “Mantiqis” and divided into Mantiqi I, II, III and IV in Southeast Asia).
Hence, to what extent does JI play a role in this current attack or has it shifted to an individual stand-alone Mantiqi Ula (1) and now has a new leader for Malaysia?
Prior to the current terror attack in Malaysia on May 17, we must note that JI re-emerged after internal conflicts between members and following this Abu Bakar Bashir and Abdullah Sungkar renamed JI to Jamaah Ansharut Tauhid (JAT), which still uses the same ideological doctrines from the original JI, where in 2014 Bashir pledged allegiance to the Islamic State.
According to Nasir Abbas, resource person to the Nordic Counter Terrorism Network (NCTN) and the International Association for Counterterrorism and Security Professionals’ (IACSP) anti-terror programme run in Indonesia, JI has not totally been eradicated but they have survived by using the name “Tansim Siri,” meaning “Underground.”
Members who still belonged to the original JI still communicated with existing Mantiqis operating within Southeast Asia. Although JI was being neutralised in the region after the 9/11 attacks, they survived, remained and regrouped within the core regional environment by going low profile.
According to JI´s general guidelines, the Pedoman Umum Perjuangan Jamaah Islamiyah, the highest leader would be the emir.
The title was held first by Sungkar and later held by Bashir. JI established four Mantiqis to cover the Southeast Asian region and Oceania in 1997.
Hambali was head of Mantiqi Ula (1) in Malaysia. Mantiqi Ula (1) was designated as its main economic hub, according to Nasir Abbas. JI developed schools named “Pasantren” and one of these was the Lukmanul Hakiem school in the state of Johor.
This school delivered the most recruited JI members for Malaysia, however only those high achievers and religiously inclined were invited to join JI.
JI composed the Islamic Briefing Material as JI´s manual in understanding Islam based on JI´s 10 principles narrated by JI itself. The main identification in the briefing material was that “faith” must coincide with Islamic laws and to uphold these principles at all times. These are the components as to why the suspected JI attacker may have committed the act of violence.
Naturally, the Malaysian police are a target as they adhere to the democratic laws of the nation and similar with the trespassers that wanted an audience with the Malaysian King as he is head of Islam.
Looking forward to the present, Neo-JI was established in 2008 and the latest emir was Para Wijayanto, who is now in detention.
This raises concerns in the current investigations on the attacks by the Malaysian authorities. Which JI is it? Neo-JI has abandoned all of its links to Mantiqis within the Southeast Asian region. If the perpetrator was a JI member to whom was he aligned?
To carry out an attack under the existing Mantiqi Ula (1), the attacker would have needed the approval of the emir and the only emir exists in Indonesia – which is Para Wijayanto of Neo-JI and Bashir of JAT!
With this fact, the links clearly point to JI Tansim Sri or the Underground as the materials found relate to the old JI. The family was considered “low profile” by the community and they never raised any suspicion among their neighbours. This is a clear indication of the Tansim Sri approach to laying low.
The perpetrator is suspected of being a member of JI and the only JI that links to the old JI is JAT, the Tansim Sri or the Underground.
The perpetrator would then need to only report or get instructions from the emir, which is Bashir from JAT – and JAT was formerly JI, which Mantiqi Ula (1) is governed by.
If Mantiqi Ula (1) is still operational, who is he reporting to? Is it the emir of JAT or is there a new emir for Mantiqi Ula (1) for Malaysia or Para Wijayanto of Neo-JI? The threat of JI has never been neutralised completely within the region as stated by Nasir Abbas.
NCTN-IACSP has been monitoring JI´s evolving and adapting operations and it has also delivered to the authorities on the existing threat that JI poses to Indonesia as well as the Southeast Asian region including Malaysia.
The launch of IS´ Media in Malaysia in March of last year, and its Arabic translation to Bahasa Malaysia this year, on instructions to carry out terror attacks by different weapons and modus operandi clearly indicates that IS has a strong presence in Malaysia.
Most localised terror organisations in Southeast Asia have pledged allegiance to IS to hitch their wagon to a brand name, and they can now evolve and reorganise their operational capabilities with the support of IS.
Terror financing is pouring into the region via legitimate sources within the banking industry, and law enforcement agencies are not able to clearly pinpoint this illegal funding.
NCTN-IACSP has been monitoring money laundering by foreign jihadists in the region as well as state actors for terrorism, and evidence provided shows this has been ongoing for decades.
IS has a foothold within the region and they have garnered support structures from all local Islamist groups in the region. As Nasir Abbas has stated, Malaysia remains an economic sanctuary with the ease of being a “safe haven” for jihadists. This includes terror financing and support structures for Islamist extremism to further their goals within the region.
In light of the current investigations, the Malaysian authorities must assess the links between IS, the old JI as well as Neo-JI to further identify the current threats to Malaysia and the region and to collaborate regionally to share information in order to identify the new trends.
The current threat landscape is bigger than expected with IS emerging strongly within the Southeast Asian region. – May 20, 2024
Andrin Raj is a Malaysian counterterrorism expert based in Finland. He is regional director for the International Association for Counterterrorism and Security Professionals
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