‘2 JI Bali bombing suspects plotting attacks in Mindanao’

Two suspected Indonesian terrorists blamed for the deadly bombings in Bali, Indonesia in October 2002 are plotting fresh attacks in Mindanao, where one was spotted a few days ago, Deputy National Security Adviser Virtus Gil revealed yesterday.

The pair are among 40 Indonesian militants from the al-Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) group believed to be hiding in the restive southern Mindanao region, undergoing jungle training and plotting attacks with local Muslim insurgents, Gil said.

The two suspected bombers — Pitono, also known as Dulmatin, and Umar Patek — were believed to have sought refuge in Mindanao to evade a regional manhunt for their alleged involvement in the Bali bombings that killed 202 people, most of them foreign tourists.

The two stay together most of the time, moving through the mountainous region bordering Maguindanao and Lanao provinces, Gil said.

Dulmatin was monitored in the area last week, and Patek’s presence was detected by intelligence agents about a month ago, Gil said, without elaborating.

Gil said security forces are now working with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), currently engaged in peace talks with the government, to try to capture the Indonesian militants.

Indonesian authorities also have provided information about the two militants, Gil added.

Gil said he believed the duo were not just hiding but also were involved in organizing terror training and planning new attacks.

The militants reportedly met several times with Abu Sayyaf chieftain Khaddafy Janjalani, prompting a continuous military manhunt to deter their plans, he said.

"They’ll never stop plotting," Gil said. "We are secure until the next bomb explodes."

Gil spoke on the sidelines of a security conference where officials and analysts briefed some 200 business executives and embassy officials on terror threats.

Andrew Tan, a Singapore-based Australian security analyst, said terror groups like the JI continue to plot attacks with local insurgents across Southeast Asia amid the regional crackdown that has led to the arrest of hundreds of suspected militants.

Terrorist threats are most critical in the Philippines, Tan said.

"Most of us will agree that the situation in the Philippines is the most serious at this point given definite al-Qaeda links with some of the Muslim separatist groups and the presence of fundamental grievances," Tan said.

Officials have acknowledged that widespread poverty and a lack of opportunities in minority-Muslim areas in Mindanao have helped foster unrest.

Tan said terrorism can only be contained, but not defeated, as long as such deep-seated grievances exist. As governments strengthen their defenses, Tan warned that people will have to be prepared for a long-term battle and trade freedom for more security.

Tan is among the regional security analysts who have said the presence of the JI militants here reflects the strategic value of Mindanao to al-Qaeda’s regional terrorist network and creates a major security concern despite a months-long respite from major terror attacks.

Intelligence sources also revealed some 23 Indonesian militants had arrived in the country since last year.

Sources said the militants had been holed up in the dense jungles of Maguindanao amid a massive manhunt against them by security forces.

"The JI remains a very serious threat. Terrorism is something not to be taken lightly," a ranking intelligence official said.

The official claimed the exact location of the militants could not be ascertained at the moment since they are constantly moving to set up more JI terror cells in the country.

He explained the terror cells are individually formed with only about three or four members each, operating independently of the other cells.

"At the moment there could be a lull in the bombings and other attacks. But it doesn’t mean we already let our guard down just because they have not been launching any terrorist act. All the more that we should watch out when it is quiet," the official said.

The JI are suspected in a series of bombings and other attacks in Mindanao and Metro Manila over the past few years.

The Islamic militant group was said to be reactivated with the recent bombings in the Indonesian province of South Sulawesi, believed to be the stronghold of the JI.

JI militants continue to enter the Philippines through the southern backdoor using small speedboats and passing themselves off as Mindanao natives.

Rohmat, an Indonesian who was arrested recently by the military as an alleged JI operative, admitted Mindanao had become a major training ground for the JI.

Rohmat claimed Central Mindanao had hosted several terror camps maintained by the JI that also serve as a refuge for Indonesians involved in major attacks, including those in the 2002 Bali bombings.

Security officials noted that Rohmat had provided close details on how terror cells were being created.

Western intelligence agencies had previously warned of terror training camps in Mindanao, some supposedly run by radical MILF guerrillas who allegedly provide sanctuary and training facilities for the militants.

Rohmat also admitted meeting Dulmatin during his five-year stay in the country.

The JI is believed to have planned and funded several bombings by the Abu Sayyaf.

The Abu Sayyaf is listed as a terrorist group by the US State Department and is suspected to have links with al-Qaeda and the JI.

Known mainly for kidnappings, Abu Sayyaf has also been blamed for several bombings, including one that sank the SuperFerry 14 in Manila Bay in February 2004, killing more than 100 people. — AP, Edith Regalado