C O N F I D E N T I A L COLOMBO 001244

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR SA, SA/INS, S/CT, PRM; NSC FOR E. MILLARD

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07-16-13
TAGS: PREL PTER PGOV PREF MV CE
SUBJECT: Action request concerning Maldivian national
accused of Islamic extremist activities

Refs: (A) 02 Colombo 2329; (B) 02 Colombo 1113

(U) Classified by Donald A. Camp, Charge d'Affaires.
Reasons 1.5 (b, d).


1. (U) This is an Action Request -- Please see
Para Four.


2. (C) Mission has received information that a Maldivian
national who was convicted of anti-Maldivian government
(GoRM) activities last year is in Sri Lanka. This
individual, Ibrahim Luthfee, was convicted along with
two other Maldivian nationals of subversion in July 2002
and sentenced to 25 years imprisonment (see Reftels).
In explaining the long sentences, the Maldivian
government had told us that the three were extremists
bent on overthrowing President Gayoom's government and
replacing it with an Islamic state. In terms of
specifics, the three men had reportedly worked together
in a business in Malaysia and were involved with a
website that carried anti-GoRM information. After the
GoRM determined that the men were engaged in anti-
government activities, the three were arrested upon
their return from Malaysia and tried. (Note: Last
year, Mission had looked at the website, which is called
"Sandhaanu, and it carried some anti-U.S. and pro-Al-
Qaeda content. The website is still in operation,
though there had been some reports that the Maldivian
authorities had managed to close it down.)


3. (C) According to several sources, Lufthee was
brought to Colombo in late May for medical treatment and
managed to escape from Maldivian police custody.
Mission was contacted by a United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) protection officer on
July 15 who confirmed that Luthfee was in Sri Lanka.
The UNCHR officer stated that Luthfee's case was under
review to determine possible refugee status. Pending
the outcome of this review, UNHCR planned to contact
Mission to ascertain possible resettlement in the U.S.


4. (C) ACTION REQUEST: Mission requests information on
whether this individual is of interest from a
counterterrorism standpoint. Further, Mission requests
guidance on how to respond to any inquiries regarding
potential resettlement in the U.S. from UNHCR. END
ACTION REQUEST.


5. (U) Minimize considered.

CAMP