BRUNEI MONITORS JAMA'AT AL-TABLIGH

S E C R E T BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN 000629

SIPDIS

NOFORN
SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR S/CT, DS/IP/EAP, DS/IP/ITA, EAP/MTS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/14/2031
TAGS: ASEC BX PINR PTER
SUBJECT: BRUNEI MONITORS JAMA'AT AL-TABLIGH

REF: (A) MANILA 1885 (B) JAKARTA 10039

Classified By: Ambassador Emil Skodon, Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (S) French Ambassador to Brunei told Ambassador that the
Government of Brunei's Internal Security Division (ISD)
informed the French external intelligence service that it is
actively monitoring approximately 400 Bruneian residents who
are members of the Islamic missionary organization Jama'at
al-Tabligh (JT). ISD passed this information during a recent
visit to Bandar Seri Begawan by the French service's liaison
officer in the region.


2. (S) ISD told the French that it does not necessarily
consider JT a terrorist organization nor does it have any
evidence that JT members resident in Brunei are planning to
engage in terrorist activity. It is, however, concerned
about the potential for JT to be infiltrated and used as a
cover for terrorism. (Comment: This concern would appear to
be well-founded, given ref A report that captured Abu Sayyaf
Group adherent Al-Sharie Amiruddin told Philippine
interrogators that he had worked with a JT branch in Marawi
City to organize his surveillance and recruiting trips to
Brunei. End Comment.)


3. (S) According to the French Ambassador, ISD initially
told the French liaison officer that there were five Bruneian
JT members undergoing terrorist training in the southern
Philippines. Doubt was later cast on this report, however,
when other ISD officers advised that this may have been an
unverified extrapolation traceable to reports that five
Bruneians were among groups of Indonesian volunteers who
earlier this year announced their intention to travel to
southern Lebanon to fight Israeli forces (ref B).
SKODON