Negotiating peace with terrorists (3)

Saifullah Yunos, @Muklis, was tasked to bring the Moro Islamic Liberation Front’s guerrilla war to Manila. It was in retaliation for the government’s all-out offensive against the separatists in summer of 2000. His original targets were Malacañang, with a gas tanker loaded with ammonium nitrate; the manila harbor and international airport, with car bombs; and the oil depot in Pandagan, with a rocket-propelled grenade. Muklis changed targets in Dec. 2000. The confessed terrorist in undergoing trial for multiple murder. But his MILF superiors are talking peace with the government. Following is a condensation of his account to the PNP-Intelligence Group:

Although Muklis was eager to go, cash shortage prevented him from executing his sabotage plot in Manila. Things started to move only when Indonesian Fathur Rohman al-Ghozi, @Abu Saad, returned to Mindanao fresh from training in Afghanistan. The Jemaah Islamiah operative visited Muklis in Marawi.

Al-Ghozi had just come from the MILF’s Camp Hudiebiah, which houses supporters from IndonesiansMalaysia and Singapore, Repeating the orders of MILF chief Hashim Salamat and vice chairman for military affairs Ibrahim Al Hajj Murad, he instructed Muklis to assemble a team that would fly with them to Manila and help procure explosives.

The mission consisted of two phases. First, they were to blast key installations in Manila. Then they were to sneak explosives into Singapore and Indonesia for similar jihad bombings by other mujahedin.

They did not discuss specific targets then, and postponed decisions until after thorough analyses and surveys. All throughout, Muklis said, al-Ghozi was in close touch via cellphone or email with Hambali, operations chief of Jemaah Islamiah, the al-Qaeda’s Southeast Asian arm.

Muklis, upon his arrest, gave the PNP-IG a blow-by-blow narrative of the operation that killed 22 civilians and wounded over a hundred.

Procurement of bomb components. In mid-Nov. 2000 a confederate named Amir fetched Abu Ali in Iligan City. With Muklis and al-Ghozi, they sailed to Cebu, where they took a cab to Ali’s home in Humay-humay, Lapulapu City. Al-Ghozi instructed Ali to contact sellers of explosives and specified his requirements: PETN, 80 kg; TNT, 30; polymeric mercury, 1/2 kg; detonating cord, one roll; blasting cap, 100 pcs. Ali went to see a certain Tony in Tanke, Talisay. They made a deal for delivery in three days. Two other confederates, Pax and Salman, arrived from Iligan and settled in at the Humay-humay mosque. Al-Ghozi took Muklis and Amir to check in at a hotel to await the shipment.

On the appointed day, Tony arrived only with 30 kg of TNT. He promised to deliver the rest of the contraband in a few days.

Travel to Manila. The next day Muklis and Amir sailed on to Manila. They hid the TNT in a box measuring 20 x 12 x 8 inches, cleverly stashed with crates of fruit. Al-Ghozi gave Muklis P5,000 for expenses in a lodge in Quiapo’s Islamic Center. Arriving two days later, Pax and Salman scoured the area for a safe hiding place for the explosives. For P150 a day they took a room in a four-story building at the foot of Quiapo bridge. Al-Ghozi arrived in Manila by plane in late-Nov., and checked in at a nearby hotel.

Safe houses in Makati, Baclaran. On Nov. 28 al-Ghozi told Muklis to find new lodgings in Makati. With the help of fellow-Maranao Elias, a sidewalk vendor in Quiapo, Muklis found a room on Pasong Tirad, for which he paid two months’ advance rent of P8,000. He moved in with Amir, Pax, Salman and two new cohorts, Osama and Said. Al-Ghozi checked into an apartelle in Baclaran.

Arrival of foreign conspriators. On Dec. 1 Hambali arrived in Manila with one Mukhlis as-Faiz. Muklis and pal Mohammad Guindolongan brought them to al-Ghozi’s apartelle to check in. Hambali and as-Faiz transferred the next day to a bigger hotel in Makati.

Target identification. The next day at the hotel Hambali, as-Faiz, al-Ghozi, Muklis and a new cohort Abu Zainab met solely to discuss bomb targets. Hambali wanted American and Israeli installations. Muklis and al-Ghozi suggested the oil depots in Pandacan and Salinas, Cavite.

Target surveillance. Set to fly off soon, Hambali and as-Faiz insisted in Arabic that they be appraised of the targets before they left. With still another pal Ismael Abbas, they rented a van, at P1,600 a day, to case the targets for three days.

In the end, Zainab told Hambali he was convinced the American and Israeli targets were tough. He cited hindrances: lack of time and access to the buildings, which were well fortified and secured. Before Hambali left that first week of Dec., he gave al-Ghozi a free hand to select the targets.

Use of car bomb. In the second week of Dec. Zainab, Abbas and a certain Juvy bought an old red vehicle in Quezon City for P45,000 for use as a car bomb. Hambali and as-Faiz had suggested the tactic and left them P50,000 for it. They registered the car in the name of Guindolongan, who refused to go along with the scheme for fear that authorities would trace it to him.

Taskings. On Dec. 23 al-Ghozi and Muklis presided over a meeting to finalize the targets and schedules, and hold a dummy run to calculate the security risks. Muklis was to prepare relay-switch assemblies for the bombs. Pax was to plant one in an LRT coach, Amir inside a bus, a certain Ustadz at Plaza Ferguson, Salmat at the MRT-EDSA station in Makati (which he later switched to a nearby hotel), and al-Ghozi at the airport. The original date was Christmas, Dec. 25, but was delayed by five days because the swtiching devices did not arrive on time from Cebu.

They held dummy runs on Dec. 24, 25 and 29. On Dec. 30 they threw Manila in panic.

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Catch Sapol ni Jarius Bondoc, Saturdays, 8 a.m., on DWIZ (882-AM).

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