Print

Mail

wiki links

US targeting Asian terror group's cash

The US on Friday froze the financial assets of 10 people alleged to be key members of the al-Qaeda-linked Asian terror group Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), US Treasury Secretary John Snow said.

Among those named is Imam Samudra, the alleged mastermind of last year's nightclub bombings in Bali, Indonesia, which killed 202 people.

"Today's action identifies 10 individuals at the heart of the JI network," Snow said in a written statement.

"These terrorists have worked to achieve al-Qaeda's terrorist goals in Southeast Asia. They have plotted to assassinate international leaders, they have planned and supported attacks such as the Bali bombings," he said.

Earlier, Snow told a news conference that the US government also submitted the names to the UN and wants it to require all its members to similarly freeze assets. Snow was in Phuket where he attended a meeting of Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum finance ministers.

"This is an important further step in dealing with terrorism. I deeply appreciate the support I have got from APEC ministers," Snow said.

The JI is believed to be closely linked to Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda terror network and has been blamed for a number of bombings in Asia in addition to the Bali attacks.

The group also has been blamed for the Aug. 5 attacks on the JW Marriott Hotel in Jakarta that killed 12 people.

The US move means that the "assets of these individuals will be frozen and financial institutions will not be able to continue to have financial relations with them," Snow said.

"So in effect they are cut off from the financial system of the US. And with a UN designation the member countries of the UN will also act to preclude them from their financial institutions.''

"So they will be closed off on a global basis from their ability to access financial institutions. That is the real outcome of this."

Last month, Thailand arrested the Indonesian-born Hambali, suspected to be the operations chief of Jemaah Islamiyah, and handed him over to US authorities for questioning.

The Jemaah Islamiyah is said to have been founded by Bakar Bashir, an Indonesian Muslim cleric who was sentenced on Tuesday to four years in jail for sedition by a court in Jakarta. But the court cleared Bashir of the more serious charge of heading the group.

Snow's statement identified the 10 people as: Yassin Sywal (nationality not given); Mukhlis Yuons, an explosives expert and a top member of the Philippines-based Moro Islamic Liberation Front; Imam Samudra, an Indonesian; Huda bin Abdul Haq, alias Mukhlas (nationality not given); Parlindungan Siregar, an Indonesian engineer; Julkipli Salim Y Salamuddin (nationality not given); Aris Munandar, an Indonesian; Fathur Rohman al-Ghozi (nationality not given); Agus Dwikarna, an Indonesian; and Abdul Hakim Murad, from Pakistan.
This story has been viewed 1885 times.