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CONTENTS:

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK:

1. World
2. Africa
3. Americas
4. Asia Pacific
5. Europe
6. Middle East
7. South Asia
8. Cyberterrorism and Information Warfare
9. Finance
10 Human Rights
11. Law and Legal Issues
12.Transporation
13. Weapons of Mass Destruction
14. Recently Published

FEATURE ARTICLE:
Jemaah Islamiah (JI) Member Profiles

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK

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1. World

The 2003 State of World Population report reveals that nearly half of the world's population is under the age of 25, including 1.2 billion adolescents. This is the youngest generation in history and could be the most troubled. Half of new HIV infections occur in people 15-24 years of age who are infected at a rate of one every 14 seconds. In addition there are 13 millions AIDS orphans under age 15. There are 238 million youths living in extreme poverty, on less than a dollar a day, while 100 million are homeless and up to four million are involved in sex trafficking each year.
http://www.unfpa.org/swp/2003/swpmain.htm

Negotiations over North Korea's nuclear programs are on hold amid a dispute over North Korea's unwillingness for Japan to continue participating. In the meantime, Jasper Becker's article about the Dear Leader sheds unusual light on the country. See The Independent, October 8 http://news.independent.co.uk/world/asia/story.jsp?story=451059

Check out these sources for a variety of views on Iraq, six months after the end of major US military operations was announced:

NATO defense ministers participated in a defense exercise to test their planned rapid-response force.

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2. Africa

The Horn of Africa is "Teetering on the Brink" as the peace processes in Sudan, Somalia, Eritrea and Ethiopia are reaching a climax. See this IRIN News report at
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=37110

An attempted coup in Burkino Faso has failed and twelve people were arrested. One of the suspects has since died in police custody. The coup planners are believed to have had foreign backing from Ivory Coast rebels.

Burundi's government and rebels of the Forces for National Liberation have signed a peace accord and ordered cessation of hostilities. The country is still considered unsafe for the return of hundreds of thousands of refugees. In this connection, the International Crisis Group has warned of the need to defuse the "land time-bomb".
http://www.crisisweb.org/home/index.cfm?id=2312&l=1

Cameroon and Chad have joined forces to begin selling their first oil from a joint international pipeline.

National reconciliation talks in the Central African Republic peaked with an historic meeting between Prime Minister Goumba and former President Dacko who joined their parties to apologize to the nation and each other for past abuses and harm to the nation.

Democratic Republic of Congo's volatile Ituri region was the scene of another massacre in which 65 people, including 40 children, were shot or hacked to death. UN forces arrived and investigated the incident and local militia forces have again agreed to cantonment.

Ethiopian President Woldegiorgis has called on the UN Security Council to correct the mistaken rulings of the boundary commission that awarded the flashpoint town of Badme to Eritrea. The continued dispute has kept the boundary marking on hold and at this point additional diplomatic intervention is required to avoid a return to conflict.

In Liberia, international peacekeepers are arriving and have begun to deploy in rebel-held areas outside the capital. In Monrovia rebel groups and the government have cooperated to remove weapons entirely. Throughout the country, skirmishes continue, and former President Taylor has been accused of contributing to this.

Senegal separatist leader of the Movement of Democratic Forces of Casamance (MFDC) has declared an end to the 21-year war, but hardline factions may not agree to begin talks with the government.

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3. Americas

Protests in Bolivia over proposed gas exports are increasingly violent. A police officer was killed by protesters and a five-year-old boy and civilian man were shot dead by government troops.

Brazil's record of extrajudicial killings by the police has been condemned by the UN human rights commission, even while a second human rights activist was killed after talking with the UN envoy.

Canada's Project Thread terrorist investigation led to 21 detentions in August but no charges. Seven of the detainees are now preparing a lawsuit over their treatment.

In Bogota, Colombia, a car bomb exploded in a crowded market, killing six and injuring 12. Rebels of the National Liberation Army (FARC) have been blamed. FARC was also blamed for the deaths of two local mayors.

Meanwhile, Colombian rebels of the National Liberation Army (ELN) have offered a prisoner exchange in order to free the seven foreign tourists it is holding hostage. Former ELN commander Carlos Arturo Velandia ("Felipe Torres") has been released from prison on parole.

The US Federal Bureau of Investigation is losing its third head of the counterterrorism operation in the last 14 months. Larry Mefford is leaving after only three months to head a private security operation for a gambling conglomerate in Nevada. No successor has been named and this rapid turnover has raised questions regarding the ability of the FBI to transform and respond to the new demands made of it.

The New York Times and Frontline have investigated the Lackawanna, NY sleeper cell. A major report by Matthew Purdy and Lowell Bergman is in the October 12 Times and the Frontline television program "Chasing the Sleeper Cell" will be broadcast on October 16.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/press/2202.html

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4. Asia Pacific

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) met to discuss trade and terrorism. They have been unable to influence Burma to release pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and instead commended Burma's efforts to develop a "roadmap" to democracy. On the trade front, member nations secured economic and security treaties with China, India and Japan, who support plans to extend the free trade area by 2010.

Indonesia commemorated the first anniversary of the Bali bombings that killed more than 200 people. Australian Prime Minister Howard and many other Australians attended the ceremonies. 88 Australians were killed in the attacks.

In the Indonesian province of Sulawesi, sectarian clashes have killed at least eight and wounded 12.

Malaysia has announced six people have been kidnapped from a Borneo resort. Responsibility is unknown but may be the work of Islamic militants or local pirates.

At Philippines police headquarters, three officers were killed and three wounded when suspected Abu Sayyaf rebel Buyungan Bongkak snatched a rifle from his guard and attacked the base until he was shot dead. Bongkak had been detained in connection with a series of bombings last year.

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5. Europe

Cyprus is featured in a Financial Times Special Report http://www.ft.com/cyprus2003 Indicating improved relations between Greece and Turkey, they have cancelled separate military exercises planned for the area.

Irish leader Bertie Ahern has been negotiating with his British counterparts to reach an agreement that would restore devolution in Northern Ireland. He does not feel that an agreement is likely, but favors moving ahead with elections anyway.

Akhmad Kadyrov celebrated his election as president of Chechnya as free and fair, dismissing the blatant vote rigging, ballot stuffing, fraud and manipulation of the candidate list.

Russia, Israel and India have reached an agreement to sell the Israeli early-warning radar system to India, fitted in a Russian cargo aircraft.

Spanish police have arrested 29 suspected members of Basque separatist group ETA. In a coordinated action, French authorities held another five suspects.

Turkey has voted to send peacekeeping troops to Iraq, a move that is controversial within the country and that has led to anger inside Iraq, where people fear Turkish expansion and their treatment of the northern Kurdish population.

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6. Middle East

October 6 marked the 30th anniversary of the Arab attack against Israel, known as the Yom Kippur War.
Egypt released more than 2,000 prisoners, most former associates of al-Gamaa al-Islamiya, to mark the anniversary of the 1973 war with Israel.

In the occupied Gaza Strip, Israeli troops launched a 2-day raid on the Rafah refugee camp to find tunnels believed used for smuggling weapons. During the raid eight Palestinians, including an 8- and a 15-year-old boy, were killed and more than 50 injured. Some 40 homes were demolished and three tunnels uncovered, but no weapons were found.

Iran will continue its enrichment of uranium as part of its nuclear power program. It has released details of components used for the program, but is defying pressure from the International Atomic Energy Agency to cancel the program.

Israel has begun deploying US Harpoon cruise missiles armed with nuclear warheads in its submarine fleet.

At the Lebanese border gunfire believed from Lebanese Hizbollah crossed the Blue Line and killed an Israeli soldier.

Syria cites the US refusal to criticize an Israeli air raid inside Syria as pushing relations with the US to a new low and claims the right to defend itself should Israel attack again. The US claims that Syria is a state sponsor of terrorism and that the Israeli attack was a legitimate form of self-defense.

In Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's West Bank compound, the dispute over a new cabinet remains unresolved.

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7. South Asia

In Afghanistan, the resurgent Taliban has led to a reassessment of the international security force that now plans to expand its operations outside of Kabul in other parts of the country. A truce between militia fighters led by rival warlords Atta Mohammad and Abdul Rashid Dostum is in place after a major clash that left up to 80 dead.

In Indian-administered Kashmir, soldiers killed 13 suspected Muslim militants in a number of shootouts.

In Nepal, the brief ceasefire was interrupted by two clashes between government forces and Maoist rebels that killed eight. As soon as the 9-day ceasefire ended, rebels attacked a police post and killed three policemen, while 25 attackers died.

Pakistan has warned it will respond to India's purchase of an Israeli/Russian airborne radar system that it says could upset the military balance. It has conducted two missile tests within one week.

Pakistan has continued its crackdown in tribal areas bordering Afghanistan, detaining more than 40 people.

The Sri Lankan parliament has approved granting citizenship to Tamils of Indian origin.

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8. Cyberterrorism and Information Warfare

Microsoft has promised yet again to improve security. See Robert MacMillan's "Another Stab at Trustworthy Computing" in The Washington Post, October 10,
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A7527-2003Oct10.html
and also Scott Granneman at Security Focus http://www.securityfocus.com/columnists/188

The US Securities and Exchange Commission filed a criminal complaint against 19-year-old Van Dingh for " illicitly accessing through the Internet an investor's online brokerage account and purchasing, without the account holder's knowledge, soon-to-be worthless options held by Dinh. These bogus transactions saved Dinh approximately $37,000 in trading losses."
http://www.sec.gov/litigation/litreleases/lr18401.htm

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9. Finance

Transparency International has issued its annual Corruption Perceptions Index, ranking Finland and Iceland as least corrupt, with Nigeria and Bangladesh measured as most corrupt.
http://www.transparency.org/pressreleases_archive/2003/2003.10.07.cpi.en.html

The UN Office on Drugs and Crime finds organized crime is spreading by using modern technology that enables computer-based attacks, money laundering and large-scale fraud.
http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2003/gashc3740.doc.htm

According to a report in Time, Jemaah Islamiah operations were funded directly by al Qaeda http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,11010,00.html

Final regulations for the US Terrorism Risk Insurance Act have been announced by the Treasury http://www/treasury.gov/trip/

In the 1990s, the US Federal Bureau of Investigation used an intermediary to funnel money to Islamic charities, including Hamas, as part of a terrorist financing investigation.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3170972.stm

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10. Human Rights

Asylum detention policies in Australia, Austria and the UK were attacked this week. In Australia, the Human Rights Commissioner cited deprivation of basic liberties, including the length of detention even for small children. In the UK, the high Court ruled that the law providing free housing for asylum seekers until their deportation should not be kept secret. Austria's parliament proposed new regulations changing the treatment of evidence and terms of appeal in a way that would be the most restrictive within the EU, if passed.

The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Shirin Ebadi "for her efforts for democracy and human rights". http://www.nobel.se/peace/laureates/2003/press.html

Bertrand Ramcharan, the Acting UN High Commissioner for Human Rights urged Arab leaders meeting at the Arab Commission on Human Rights to ratify human rights treaties, strengthen national rights protections and ratify an accord banning discrimination against women. http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=8497&Cr=arab&Cr1=rights

The US Supreme Court has allowed for a convicted murderer to be drugged to make him sane enough to be executed. Meanwhile, the use of drugs for execution has been called into question after findings that lethal injections are not painless or humane.
http://www.oakridger.com/stories/060303/stt_20030603003.html
http://www.internationaljusticeproject.org/illnessARahman.cfm

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11. Law and Legal Issues

Abdelhaleem Ashqar was taken into US custody on September 5 for civil contempt after refusing to testify before a grand jury investigating Hamas. He has been on hunger strike and is being fed intravenously. Given his continued refusal to testify, the court has increased his charge to a criminal indictment.

Boris Berezovsky, exiled Russian billionaire wanted for fraud, has been granted asylum in the UK, as has his colleague Yuli Dobov.

Ali Gufron "Muklas" has been sentenced to death for his role in the Bali bombings.

Ripudaman Singh Malik, accused in the Air India bombing, has been unable to reach agreement over legal funding and may defend himself.

Frank Roque has been found guilty of the murder of Balbir Singh Sodhi, a Sikh whom Roque claimed to have mistaken for an Arab Muslim after the September 11 attacks. Roque has been sentenced to death

James Yee, an Army Captain and Muslim chaplain at the Guantanamo Bay prison, has been charged with two counts of mishandling classified information by taking it home with him.

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12. Transportation

The US Food and Drug Administration will require advance notice of food imports to help prevent biological or other terrorist attacks against food supplies.
http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2003pres/20031009.html

RAND Europe reports that " Terrorists could use containers on ships to transport weapons and dangerous materials, or could use the containers themselves as weapons of mass destruction", pointing out that " Approximately 90 percent of all cargo is shipped in containers, amounting to some 250 million moves annually".
http://www.rand.org/hot/press.03/09.08.html
http://www.rand.org/publications/MR/MR1695/

Aaron Caffrey's trial for electronic sabotage has begun. The British teenager is accused of hacking into Texas' Port of Houston in September 2001. The attack took advantage of a Unicode flaw in Microsoft IIS to deliver a denial of service attack that took down the systems and interfered with maritime traffic.
http://news.zdnet.co.uk/internet/security/0,39020375,39116978,00.htm
http://news.zdnet.co.uk/internet/security/0,39020375,39116986,00.htm

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13. Weapons of Mass Destruction

"Control Arms" is a campaign jointly run by Amnesty International, IANSA and Oxfam have joined together to launch a campaign against arms that are responsible for one death every minute. They cite other facts, including "From 1998 to 2001, the USA, the UK, and France earned more income from arms sales to developing countries than they gave in aid" and that "The five permanent members of the UN Security Council -- the USA, UK, France, Russia, and China. Together, they are responsible for eighty eight per cent of reported conventional arms exports." They call for stricter controls and a legally binding arms treaty within three years.
http://www.controlarms.org/

Israel has begun deploying US Harpoon cruise missiles armed with nuclear warheads in its submarine fleet.

Brazil has announced plans to begin enriching uranium next year. Initially it will be used for power, but they expect to produce enough for export.

The National Academy of Science recommended advance review of biotechnology research to screen for bioterrorism risks, particularly related to dual use.
http://www4.nationalacademies.org/news.nsf/isbn/0309089778?OpenDocument

The US Food and Drug Administration has announced interim final regulations under the Bioterrorism Act. They require "registration with FDA of all domestic and foreign food facilities that manufacture/process, pack, or hold food for human or animal consumption in the United States" and "advance notice to FDA of any shipment of human or animal food imported or offered for import beginning Dec. 12, 2003". http://www.fda.gov/oc/bioterrorism/furls/

The US General Accounting Office reported on "DOD Excess Property: Risk Assessment Needed on Public Sales of Equipment that Could Be Used to Make Biological Agents", by Gregory D. Kutz, GAO-04-81TNI, October 7. The Defense department practice of selling surplus laboratory equipment without regulation has been discontinued.

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14. Recently Published

Elinor Langer, "A Hundred Little Hitlers: The Death of a Black Man, the Trial of a White Racist, and the Rise of the Neo-Nazi Movement in America" Holt/Metropolitan

Christian Parenti, "The Soft Cage: Surveillance in America, from Slave Passes to the Patriot Act", Basic

Anita Pratap, " Island of Blood: Frontline Reports from Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Other South Asian Flashpoints" Penguin

Robert E. Precht, " Defending Mohammad: Justice on Trial", Cornell University Press

United States Marine Corps, " Small Wars Manual 1940" Sunflower University Press

Murray Weiss, "The Man Who Warned America: The Life and Death of John O'Neill, the FBI's Embattled Counterterrorism Warrior" Regan Books

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FEATURE ARTICLE: JI Member Profiles

A year ago today, the devastating bombings in Bali brought Jemaah Islamiah (JI) to the forefront of international terrorism. Last month the US Treasury designated ten alleged JI leaders as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs), joining Nurjaman Riduan Isamuddin ("Hambali") and Mohamad Iqbal Aburrabman ("Abu Jibril") previously named.

In support of this designation, that requires all US assets to be frozen and prohibits transactions with the US, the Treasury published a fact sheet with biographies of these ten men, as follows.

" *Yassin Sywal. "Yassin," is an operative who provides support to JI and al-Qaida in Southeast Asia. Yassin received training in the al-Qaida-operated Chaldun Camp in Afghanistan in the l980s or l990s. When he returned to Southeast Asia, he became involved in sectarian conflicts occurring in Sulawesi, Indonesia. Yassin, who is the son-in-law of JI co-founder Abdullah Sungkar, collaborated with individuals associated with JI and al-Qaida in Southeast Asia, such as suspected al-Qaida operative Umar Faruq, to recruit and train Muslims for combat in Sulawesi. Yassin also assisted in importing weapons from the Philippines for use in conflicts in Indonesia. In addition, Yassin participated in planning and facilitating al-Qaida terrorist plots in Southeast Asia. In 1999, Yassin attended a planning session with Faruq to select assassination targets. The targets selected included Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri and other Indonesian figures. Yassin’s role in the plot was to procure weapons for use in the assassinations. Ultimately, the plot was aborted.

" *Mukhlis Yunos. An explosives expert, Yunos is the leader of the Special Operations Group of the Philippines-based Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). Yunos has acted on behalf of and materially assisted JI on several occasions. Yunos assisted JI member Fathur Rohman Al-Ghozi in procuring explosives and weapons for shipment to Indonesia and elsewhere. Yunos also carried out the December 30, 2000, bombings in Manila, known as the "Rizal Day Bombings," on behalf of JI. Yunos received financial assistance from JI figures Faiz bin Abu Bakar Bafana and Fathur Rohman A1-Ghozi to conduct the Rizal Day bombings, which killed 22 people and injured more than 100. Yunos also assisted JI operations chief Riduan Isomuddin, a.k.a. Hambali, and JI Singapore cell leader Faiz bin Abu Bakar Bafana in conducting surveillance of the U.S. and Israeli embassies in the Philippines. Yunos studied in Pakistan and received military training in Afghanistan.

" *Imam Samudra. An Indonesian national, Samudra was arrested on November 21, 2002, in connection with the October 12, 2002, bombings in Bali. Indonesian authorities have identified Samudra as a member of JI. Samudra moved to Malaysia in 1990, received military training in Afghanistan between 1991 and 1993, and took an oath of allegiance, or "bai'at," to JI leader Abu Bakar Bashir in 1998. Samudra has provided support and assistance to JI in at least three bomb attacks. Samudra assisted JI operations chief Hambali in organizing and financing the bombings of 24 churches in Indonesia, on December 24, 2000, which killed 19 people and injured more than 100. Samudra participated in the bomb attack on a Jakarta shopping mall on August 1, 2001, by providing explosives and detonators to two men who carried out the attack. Samudra also played a central role in the Bali bomb attacks that killed 202 people. Samudra initiated the Bali bomb plot and selected the target and time of the bombings. He also recruited and commanded the team that executed the Bali blasts. Indeed, Indonesian police found the following message on Samudra’s computer:

We are responsible for the incident in Legian St. Kuta Bali, at Saturday night, October 12, 2002 also near General Consulate building in Jalan Hayman Wuruk 188, Denpasar, Bali at the same night.

" *Huda bin Abdul Haq (a.k.a. and hereafter referred to as, "Mukhlas"). Mukhlas is a senior and influential JI leader with ties to Usama bin Laden. He was reportedly named head of JI’s "Mantiqi One", or regional network, covering Sumatra, Singapore, Malaysia and southern Thailand. Mukhlas co-founded a religious school in Malaysia used as a training ground for JI operatives and was involved extensively in the Bali bombings. Mukhlas was detained and charged by Indonesian authorities with planning and supervising the terrorist attacks that occurred in Bali on October 12, 2002, killing at least 202 people. A 1,046- page case file cites reports of 200 witnesses linking Mukhlas with the attacks. Mukhlas himself admitted to being present and in command at the planning meetings for the Bali bombings, and recruited two of his brothers to help assemble and transport the bombs used in the Bali attacks. A significant sum of money, amounting to approximately US $35,000 was contributed to the Bali bombings by Wan Mm Wan Mat, a leader of the JI network in Malaysia. The money came from senior JI leader Hambali through Wan Mm and was channeled to Mukhlas. The money was provided in cash, and according to claims by Mukhlas, the money was not just used for the bombings in Bali, but also in other places in Indonesia. Mukhlas admitted that he met with Usama bin Laden in Afghanistan in 1987 and fought the Soviet Union in Afghanistan as a member of Usama bin Laden’s "International Brigade". According to Mukhlas "he and other top JI personnel were careful to nurture ties to bin Laden and al-Qaida in the years that followed."

" *Parlindungan Siregar. "Parlin Siregar" is an Indonesian engineer identified by Spanish authorities as a close associate of an al-Qaida cell in Spain. Siregar has also been involved in al-Qaida training activities in Indonesia, according to the same authorities. Siregar, who studied engineering in Spain, was associated with the Spanish al-Qaida cell led by Barakat Yarkas. Spanish authorities arrested 11 members of that cell in November 2001. During the course of their investigation, Spanish authorities uncovered evidence indicating that Siregar led an al-Qaida training camp in Sulawesi, Indonesia. Siregar is alleged by Spanish authorities to have arranged for several hundred al-Qaida operatives from Europe, including Yarkas, to travel to Indonesia for training.

" *Julkipli Salim Y Salamuddin. Salamuddin led combined JI-MILF elements in late 2002, along with MILF leader Solamain Esmael. They were suspected of planning attacks on US companies, government facilities, and shopping malls in the South Central Mindanao area.

" *Aris Munandar. Munandar facilitates and provides support to JI activities in Southeast Asia. Munandar, a native of Indonesia, is reported to be between 34 and 40 years old. He is a close associate of JI leader Abu Bakar Bashir. Munandar is a graduate of Bashir’s Islamic boarding school, Pondok Ngruki, and a member of Majelis Mujahidin Indonesia (MMI), an organization that Bashir helped found and later directed. He is also the head of KOMPAK, a non-governmental organization that produced videos used in the recruitment of JI members. Munandar is considered to be Bashir’s assistant. As such, Munandar provided direct support and assistance to activities authorized by Bashir. On one occasion, Munandar procured explosives at the request of Bashir for use in Ambon. Munandar also facilitated recruitment and training for JI and al-Qaida activities in Indonesia. Munandar, working with al-Qaida operative Umar Faruq, is suspected of providing military training for recruits to join sectarian fighting in Sulawesi.

" *Fathur Rohman Al-Ghozi. Al-Ghozi is a JI member and explosives expert who received military training at an al-Qaida camp on the Afghan-Pakistani border. Al-Ghozi was involved in conducting surveillance and procuring explosives for the Hambali-approved JI plan to attack U.S. and other Western interests in Singapore. He admitted to helping plan and finance a series of bombings in the Philippines on December 30, 2000, that killed 22 people and injured more than 100. He also served as a JI trainer and conducted bomb-making courses in Malaysia and the Philippines attended by JI members. Al-Ghozi was detained by Philippine authorities on January 15, 2002, pled guilty to explosives charges in April 2002, and was sentenced to 10-12 years in jail. While under detention, he gave police information that led to the discovery of more than a ton of explosives, 300 detonators and other bomb-making materials in the Southern Philippines. In an affidavit, A1-Ghozi admitted he was working with Hambali (an SDGT designated under E.O. 13224 on January 24, 2003). Al-Ghozi escaped from prison on July 14, 2003 and is currently at large.

" *Agus Dwikarna. Dwikarna is a JI member and facilitator for al-Qaida in Indonesia. Dwikarna acted as a guide for two al-Qaida leaders during their visit to Indonesia in June 2002, and reportedly set up an al-Qaida training camp in Indonesia. Dwikarna was arrested on March 13, 2002, while attempting to board a flight at the international airport in Manila, the Philippines. Security personnel discovered bomb-making equipment in his suitcase. Dwikarna was sentenced to 17 years in jail for illegal possession of explosives.

" *Abdul Hakim Murad. Murad, a Pakistani national, is a licensed commercial pilot who trained in flight schools in the U.S. He was arrested in Manila, the Philippines in January 1995 in a raid that resulted in the seizure of a laptop computer, a large quantity of chemicals and other paraphernalia used in the manufacture of explosives. He was turned over to the U.S. and indicted for conspiring to simultaneously blow up 12 U.S. commercial airliners while airborne, a project codenamed Bojinka. According to Philippines and U.S. law enforcement officials, the key planners of the Bojinka plot were al-Qaida operations directors Khalid Shaikh Mohammad and Ramzi Yousef. Khalid Shaikh Mohammed was indicted as a co-conspirator of the Bojinka plot in 1996, but avoided standing trial by eluding law authorities. Mohammed was designated as an SDGT pursuant to E.O. 13224 on October 12, 2001, and was arrested on March 1, 2003, in Pakistan. Murad also told the FBI, in step-by-step details, of his involvement in preparing the Bojinka plot. On September 5, 1996, Abdul Hakim Murad, along with co-defendants Ramzi Yousef and Wail Khan Main Shah, were convicted on all counts related to the Bojinka bombing conspiracy."

Further reading: