RSO HO CHI MINH CITY MEETS WITH LOCAL MINISTRY OF PUBLIC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HO CHI MINH CITY 000767

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

TERREP

DEPARTMENT FOR DS/IP/EAP, DS/DSS/LECC, DS/DSS/ITA, DS/ICI/PII,
DS/ICI/CI, EAP/BCLTV; HANOI FOR RSO, BANGKOK FOR RSO AND LEGATT,
PHNOM PENH FOR RSO, VIENTIANE FOR RSO

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ASEC PTER VM CTERR
SUBJECT: RSO HO CHI MINH CITY MEETS WITH LOCAL MINISTRY OF PUBLIC
AFFAIRS OFFICERS REGARDING "FAHID MOHAMMED ALLY MSALAM"

REF: A) HCMC 0750 B) HANOI 1617 C) HANOI 1618 D) HCMC 0759


1. (SBU) ON JUNE 6, 2004 AT 18:00 HOURS, RSO MET WITH MEMBERS OF
THE MINISTRY OF PUBLIC SECURITY (MPS) TO DISCUSS THE RECENT
POSSIBLE TERRORIST SUSPECT SIGHTING(S) OF FAHID MOHAMMED ALLY
MSALAM IN HO CHI MINH CITY (HCMC). THE MEETING TOOK PLACE AT A
COFFEE SHOP NEAR THE CONSULATE GENERAL (CONGEN). IN ATTENDANCE
WERE MR. NGUYEN NHU HUONG, THE DIRECTOR OF THE ANTI-TERRORISM UNIT
IN HANOI; MR. NGUYEN VIET CUONG, DEPUTY TO MR. HUONG AND HEAD OF
THE HCMC ANTI-TERRORISM UNIT; RSO AND MS. TON NU KIM BAO, THE
RSO'S FSN INVESTIGATOR (FSNI).


3. (SBU) AFTER INITIAL PLEASANTRIES, MR. HUONG INFORMED RSO THAT
UPON RECEIVING INFORMATION FROM THE RSO IN HANOI (BECAUSE MPS HCMC
INITIALLY REFUSED TO SPEAK DIRECTLY WITH THE CONSULATE RSO,
PENDING APPROVAL FROM HANOI, RSO HCMC PASSED ALL PERTINENT
INFORMATION TO RSO HANOI TO USE WITH MPS HANOI),THE ANTI-
TERRORIST UNIT HAD TAKEN THE FOLLOWING STEPS:

3A. REVIEWED THE RECORDS OF THE GUESTS WHO STAYED AT THE SHERATON
SAIGON HOTEL FROM JANUARY 2004 TO PRESENT. CHECKS OF THOSE
RECORDS MET WITH NEGATIVE RESULTS.
3B. REQUESTED THAT THE HCMC POLICE CHECK THE RECORDS OF ALL
TEMPORARY RESIDENTS AND HOTEL GUESTS IN HO CHI MINH CITY. AS OF
NOW, THEY HAVE NOT RECEIVED A REPORT FROM THE POLICE IN THIS
MATTER.
3C. REVIEWED THE IMMIGRATION RECORDS OF PERSONS WHO ENTERED
VIETNAM FROM KENYA FROM JANUARY 2004 TO PRESENT. THIS REVIEW
TURNED UP 22 PERSONS FROM KENYA WHO ENTERED VIETNAM DURING THAT
PERIOD, OF WHICH 21 HAVE SINCE DEPARTED. ONLY ONE KENYAN REMAINS
IN VIETNAM. MPS IS CURRENTLY CHECKING ON THAT INDIVIDUAL, WHO IS
CURRENTLY IN HANOI.
3D. REVIEWED THE SECURITY TAPES FROM JUNE 1ST FROM THE SHERATON
HOTEL. A CHECK OF THOSE TAPES MET WITH NEGATIVE RESULTS.
3E. SHOWED THE PICTURE OF THE SUBJECT TO THE SHERATON STAFF AND
SOME OF THE GUESTS. THIS ALSO MET WITH NEGATIVE RESULTS.
3F. SET UP SURVEILLANCE AROUND THE HOTEL AND AT THE NIGHTCLUB ON
THE 23RD FLOOR. THE SUBJECT HAS NOT BEEN SEEN. THE SURVEILLANCE
WILL CONTINUE FOR SEVERAL MORE DAYS.
3G. MR. HUONG ALSO REPORTED THAT MPS IS CONDUCTING SECURITY
TRAINING FOR GUARDS WORKING AT AMERICAN FACTORIES AND BUSINESSES
IN SOUTHERN VIETNAM, SO THAT THEY CAN BE MORE ALERT TO ANY
SUSPICIOUS PERSONS WHO MAY BE SURVEILLING THEIR
PROPERTY/PERSONNEL. HE SAID THEY JUST COMPLETED TRAINING IN BINH
DUONG PROVINCE. (POST NOTE: BINH DUONG PROVINCE IS ADJACENT TO
HCMC AND IS HOME TO SEVERAL LARGE INDUSTRIAL PARKS WHICH HAVE
AMERICAN, VIETNAMESE, AND JOINT VENTURE FOREIGN FIRMS RESIDENT
THERE. END NOTE.)


4. (SBU) MR. HUONG THEN ASKED FOR DETAILS OF THE EVENT THAT
TRANSPIRED IN REFTEL A. RSO DESCRIBED THE REPORTED SIGHTING AND
PASSED ON THE NAMES OF THE TWO AMERICANS WHO WERE THE SOURCES.
RSO INFORMED MPS THAT ALTHOUGH THE TWO AMERICANS WOULD HAVE BEEN
HAPPY TO DISCUSS THE MATTER WITH VIETNAMESE AUTHORITIES, THEY
DEPARTED THE COUNTRY ON JUNE 4. RSO EMPHASIZED HIS CONCERN ABOUT
THE LOCATION OF THE SIGHTING (A LUXURY BUSINESS HOTEL) AND NOTED
THAT IT WAS A POTENTIAL SOFT TARGET. MPS AGREED WITH THIS
ASSESSMENT. MR. HUONG THEN SAID THAT THE ANTI-TERRORIST UNIT IS
REQUESTING THAT A HOTLINE NUMBER BE SET UP BETWEEN MPS AND THE
CONGEN LIKE THE ONE THEY HAVE SET UP IN HANOI WITH THE EMBASSY.
THEY ARE CURRENTLY AWATING PERMISSION AND WHEN IT IS ESTABLISHED,
MPS WILL CONTACT THE RSO.


5. (SBU) UNTIL SUCH TIME, RSO ASKED FOR A PHONE NUMBER HE COULD
USE IN AN EMERGENCY. MR. HUONG TOLD RSO TO USE MR. CUONG'S
CELLPHONE NUMBER (091-313-0445). RSO ALSO NOTED THAT IT IS
IMPERATIVE, IN THE EVENT OF AN INCIDENT SUCH AS THIS, TO BE ABLE
TO MEET IMMEDIATELY AND DIRECTLY WITH THE MPS ANTI-TERRORIST UNIT.
MR. HUONG REPLIED THAT THE ANTI-TERRORIST UNIT WILL TRY TO FULFILL
THE CONGEN'S REQUEST AT THE SOONEST TIME POSSIBLE.


6. (SBU) MR. HUONG THEN CONTINUED THAT ALTHOUGH THE ANTI-TERRORISM
UNIT IS CONSIDERED AN IMPORTANT ELEMENT WITHIN MPS, IT IS STILL
RELATIVELY NEW. HE ASKED IF THE RSO COULD HELP WITH ANY TYPE OF
TRAINING, ESPECIALLY IN BOMB RECOGNITION. RSO RESPONDED THAT
CONGEN WOULD BE HAPPY TO PROVIDE TRAINING, AS HE HAD BEEN AN
INSTRUCTOR FOR DIPLOMATIC SECURITY AT THE STATE DEPARTMENT. RSO
EXPLAINED THAT THE TRAINING COULD BE CONDUCTED AT THE CONSULATE OR
AT ONE OF THEIR FACILITIES, AS LONG AS THEY HAD A SYSTEM THAT A
POWER POINT PROGRAM COULD OPERATE ON. MR. HUONG EXPRESSED
APPRECIATION, AND SAID IF PERMISSION WAS GRANTED FROM HIS
SUPERVISORS, THE RSO COULD EXPECT TO HAVE 15-20 STUDENTS PER CLASS
AT AN MPS FACILITY. RSO WILL FOLLOW UP SEPARATELY WITH MR. CUONG.


7. (SBU) RSO AGAIN THANKED BOTH OFFICIALS FOR THE MEETING AND THE
WORK THEY WERE DOING TO MAKE THE CONSULATE SAFE. RSO ALSO NOTED
THAT THE COOPERATION THE CONGEN HAS RECEIVED SO FAR FROM VARIOUS
VIETNAMESE LAW ENFORCEMENT AND SECURITY AGENCIES HAS BEEN VERY
GOOD, BUT THIS MEETING WITH MPS WAS ESSENTIAL. RSO CONTINUED THAT
HE LOOKED FORWARD TO HAVING CONTINUED SUPPORT FROM MPS. MR. HUONG
ALSO STATED THAT HE WAS VERY HAPPY WITH THE MEETING AND THE
COOPERATION. THE MEETING CONCLUDED AT 19:30 HOURS. THE
ATMOSPHERE WAS CORDIAL AND INFORMATIVE THROUGHOUT.


8. (SBU) RSO FURTHER REPORTS THE FOLLOWING U.S. POCS OF THE TWO
AMCITS WHO FIRST REPORTED THE SIGHTING. THEY DEPARTED VIETNAM ON
JUNE 4, BUT SAID THEY WOULD BE AVAILABLE TO OTHER U.S. LAW
ENFORCEMENT PERSONNEL, SHOULD THEY WISH TO SPEAK WITH THEM. THEIR
POCS IN THE UNITED STATES ARE AS FOLLOWS:

MR. STEVEN ALAN HEBERT (PLEASE NOTE CORRECTED SPELLING OF LAST
NAME)
290 LUDINGTONVILLE RD.
HOLMES, N.Y. 12531
(H) (845) 878-9637
(W) (845) 225-4507

MR. CHRISTIAN (CHRIS) PHILLIP KAMM (PLEASE NOTE CORRECTED SPELLING
OF FIRST NAME)
3372 MIDDLEPOST LN.
ROCKY RIVER, OHIO 44116
(H) (440)-895-1976
(W) 1-888-208-8328

9.(SBU) CONGEN WILL REPORT ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION SOONEST AS
IT DEVELOPS.

YAMAUCHI