JTIC exclusive - Singapore government report reveals extent of Islamic terrorist threat in Southeast Asia - Jane's International Security News

JTIC exclusive - Singapore government report reveals extent of Islamic terrorist threat in Southeast Asia - Jane's International Security News In December 2001, the people of Singapore were confronted with the reality of Islamic terrorism on their doorstep when officers of the country's Internal Security Department (ISD) arrested 15 people, 13 of whom were alleged to be members of the banned Islamic terrorist group Jemaah Islamiyya (JI). While two were later released, the remaining 13 are still in custody.

In August 2002, the ISD arrested a further 21 people, all but two of whom, the government claims, are also JI members, the remaining two being members of Philippine separatist group the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

The arrests were made after security services learned of plots by the JI to bomb government and western targets in Singapore.

This month, Singapore's Home Affairs Ministry published a report on the activities of JI in the country. The document provides useful detail on the structure and activities of the group from the mid-1990s to the present. But of particular interest are the ministry's findings on the JI's links not only to a web of like-minded Islamic militant groups in southeast Asia, but also to Osama bin Laden's global Al-Qaeda network.