PHILIPPINES ANNOUNCES ARREST OF INDONESIAN JI

UNCLAS MANILA 001350 SIPDIS SENSITIVE DEPT FOR EAP/PMBS, DS/IP/EAP, INR/EAP, DS/DSS/ITA-TCREHAN DEPT PASS TO USIP-SOLOMON NSC FOR GREEN E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PTER PREL ASEC PINS RP SUBJECT: PHILIPPINES ANNOUNCES ARREST OF INDONESIAN JI TERRORIST REF: A. MANILA 836 ¶B. MANILA 979 ¶C. MANILA 1199 ¶1. (SBU) The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) announced at a March 22 press conference its units had captured Rohmat (aka Zaki aka Zaky aka Hamdan aka Akil aka Jeji),an Indonesian suspected of serving as a Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) liaison to the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG). According to the AFP, Rohmat was present when ASG leaders planned the February 14 bombings in Makati (Manila),General Santos City, and Davao City, which killed eight people and wounded more than 150 others. According to AFP intelligence officials, Rohmat helped train ASG bomb-makers how to use mobile phones to trigger explosions. "With Zaki's capture, the Philippine government has dealt another serious blow to the JI's and the ASG's financial linkages, operational capability and organizational morale," claimed Armed Forces Deputy Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Edilberto Adan. The US Department of Defense's Rewards Program has offered US $50,000 for Rohmat. ¶2. (SBU) Intelligence officials alleged that Rohmat illegally entered the Philippines via Zamboanga City in January 2000 and trained at the MILF's Camp Abubakar in Maguindanao, before moving to Camp Jabal Quba in Butig town, Lanao del Sur province after the AFP overran Camp Abubakar in ¶2000. In 2001, he allegedly began training ASG members on explosives in Patikul, Jolo, Sulu. Rohmat reportedly told investigators that individuals associated with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front's (MILF) 105th Base Command had sheltered him while he recuperated after being wounded in November 2004 during an air raid on Datu Piang town. ¶3. (SBU) GRP sources confirmed to poloff that they considered Rohmat a JI "important member" but noted that his capture actually took place on March 16. ¶4. (SBU) Comment: The AFP may have delayed announcing Rohmat's capture until the beginning of the long weekend marking the Easter holidays in an attempt to reassure a jittery public fearful of possible ASG/JI terrorist attacks during Holy Week. In the absence of anti-terrorism legislation, the GRP is able to hold Rohmat without bail only on immigration charges. In any eventual trial, GRP prosecutors will face significant legal difficulties in turning sensitive intelligence into a conviction on anything beyond immigration charges in open court. This arrest again highlights the need for a tough and more comprehensive Anti-Terrorism law here. Embassy continues working closely with both Administration and Congressional figures interested in pushing this legislation, particularly in the wake of the Valentine's Day bombings. End comment. Visit Embassy Manila's Classified SIPRNET website: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eap/manila/index. cfm You can also access this site through the State Department's Classified SIPRNET website: http://www.state.sgov.gov/ Ricciardone