GOVERNMENT RESPONSE TO MEDIA QUERIES ON THE ISA ARRESTS

There have been a number of media queries following the release of the government press statement on 11 January on the ISA arrests. The following are in response to the media queries.

Abdus Samad @ Abu Bakar Bashir
Some media have reported that Abu Bakar Bashir has denied association with the "Jemaah Islamiyah" (Islamic Group)

The fact is that some of the detained "Jemaah Islamiyah" members in Singapore, including key figures like Ibrahim Maidin and Khalim Jaffar, have described Abdus Samad @ Abu Bakar Bashir as the "amir" or overall
leader of the "JI" organisation covering the Singapore/Malaysia as well as the Indonesia networks.

Chronology of Investigation into "Jemaah Islamiyah" (Islamic Group)
Some media reports have also created the impression among their readers that it was due to the discovery of the video tape in Afghanistan by the US authorities that led to the arrest of the "Jemaah Islamiyah" ("JI").

This is a wrong impression. Singapore Authorities are not aware of any information received from US sources which led to the arrests of the 15 persons for terrorism-related activities in Singapore. The arrest of the terrorists was not based on the video or any other information provided by any foreign liaison sources. The chronology of investigation into the "JI" is as follows:

a) After the 11 September 2001 incident, Internal Security Department (ISD) began investigations into the "JI" after a Singaporean source disclosed that a Singaporean Mohd Aslam bin Yar Ali Khan had Al Qaeda links. ISD then mounted surveillance on a group of people associated with him, and investigated them.

b) On 9 December 2001, ISD detained for questioning the first group of six persons and searched their homes and offices. Surveillance led to the arrests of the others. The last person arrested was on 24 December 2001.

c) On 14 December 2001, ISD briefed foreign liaison partners of the case. Only then was ISD informed about the discovery in Afghanistan of a videotape and debriefing notes which were received on 28 December 2001. So there is no basis to say that the arrest of the "JI" members was due to the information provided by US sources. But the videotape confirmed what Khalim told ISD on 22 December 2001 that he and Hashim Abas cased the Yishun subway station in 1997/98 and Khalim had briefed Al Qaeda leaders in Afghanistan in 1999. Hashim also admitted to ISD on 26 December his role in the videotape. These are helpful to the investigation as they form part of the conclusive evidence against the arrested "JI" members.

The video clip of the Yishun MRT (subway station)
There has also been media interest in the two detainees who did the video tape found in Afghanistan.

Mohamed Khalim bin Jaffar and Hashim bin Abas had made a detailed reconnaissance of the Yishun MRT station in 1997/98, and prepared a videotape of the reconnaissance, with commentary in English.

18 January 2002

Source: Ministry of Home Affairs, Singapore