The U.S. Department of the Treasury, April 13, 2006
JS-4179
Treasury Designates Four Leaders of Terrorist Group "Jemaah
Islamiyah"
The U.S. Department of the Treasury today designated four top leaders of the al
Qaida-linked Southeast Asian terrorist organization that calls itself "Jemaah
Islamiyah" (JI). Today's action was taken pursuant to Executive Order 13224, which is
aimed at prohibiting transactions with terrorists and their supporters and freezing their
assets.
"Members of JI have been trained, funded and directed by al Qaida to pursue a
like-minded terrorist agenda, including executing some of the deadliest terrorist
attacks against innocents since the war on terror began," said Pat O'Brien, Assistant
Secretary for Terrorist Financing and Financial Crime. "The Treasury's designation
today targets four individuals for their respective roles in carrying out JI's deadly
agenda."
The U.S. is joining with Australia and other countries to submit these individuals to
the United Nations 1267 Committee, which will consider adding them to the
consolidated list of terrorists tied to al Qaida, UBL and the Taliban.
Operating primarily in Southeast Asia, JI aims to establish, through violent jihad, a
pan-Islamic state in Southeast Asia.
On October 12, 2002, JI members carried out the brutal near-simultaneous bombings
in Bali, Indonesia, that killed 202 people. Two of the three blasts occurred in a popular
tourist district, and one occurred near the U.S. Consulate. The attacks killed citizens
from over 20 countries worldwide. Australia suffered the greatest number of casualties
with 88 Australian nationals killed.
On October 1, 2005, suicide bombers attacked Bali again in what appeared to be the
work of JI. These latest suicide bombings at restaurants frequented by tourists killed
23 people, including the suicide bombers, and injured at least 135.
JI was involved in the bombing of the Marriott hotel in Jakarta, Indonesia, on August 5,
2003 that killed 12 people, including the suicide bomber The attack took place during
the busy lunch hour in Jakarta's central business district. JI was also behind the
September 9, 2004 suicide bombing outside the Australian Embassy in Jakarta. That
attack killed nine people and injured 182.
In December 2001, Singapore authorities arrested 13 JI members, eight of whom had
trained in al Qaida camps in Afghanistan, who planned to bomb the U.S. and Israeli
embassies, British and Australian diplomatic buildings, and U.S. and Singapore
defense targets in Singapore. Members of the group had conducted videotaped
surveillance of the potential targets. A copy of the videotape was found that same
month in Afghanistan in the destroyed house of Muhammad Atif, al Qaida's former
military commander.
The U.S. Government possesses sufficient credible evidence that the following
individuals designated today act on behalf of JI through acts of terrorism and support
for terrorism.
IDENTIFIER INFORMATION
Abu Bakar Ba'asyir
AKAs: BAASYIR, Abu Bakar
BASHIR, Abu Bakar
Abdus Samad
Abdus Somad
DOB: August 17, 1938
POB: Jombang, East Java, Indonesia
Nationality: Indonesian
As JI's top leader, Ba'asyir has authorized terrorist operations and the use of JI
operatives and resources for multiple terrorist attacks in Southeast Asia. According to
JI members, Ba'asyir needed to approve significant JI operations, either personally or
through his leadership council. Ba'asyir authorized the Bali bombings of October 12,
2002, that killed 202 people. He authorized the use of JI operatives and resources for
a plan to conduct simultaneous bomb attacks against U.S. embassies in Southeast
Asia on or near the first anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks. Ba'asyir also
ordered a series of bomb attacks on Indonesian churches on December 24, 2000. The
Christmas Eve bombings, carried out in 38 locations in 11 cities, killed 19 people and
wounded approximately 120.
Upon the death of Abdullah Sungkar in 1999, Abu Bakar Ba'asyir assumed the
position of the overall leader, or emir, of JI. Following his arrest in 2002, Abu Rusdan,
who was previously designated by the Treasury, fulfilled Ba'aysir's day-to-day duties
as emir.
As JI's top leader, Ba'asyir also made or approved important decisions regarding the JI
organization. Ba'asyir appointed Nurjaman Riduan Isamuddin, aka Hambali, as the
head of the JI organization in Malaysia and Singapore, which came to be referred to
as Mantiqi I. Hambali was captured in 2003.
Ba'asyir called for the destruction of the United States, England, Australia, Singapore,
Thailand and the Philippines in early 2005 and appealed for the destruction of national
leaders while urging his followers to commit violent acts of jihad.
In March 2005, Ba'asyir was convicted in Indonesia of conspiracy in the 2002 Bali
bombings and was sentenced to 30 months in prison. As a result of two sentence
reductions, Ba'asyir is currently scheduled to be released in June 2006.
Gun Gun Rusman Gunawan
AKAs: GUNAWAN, Rusman
Abd Al-Hadi
Abdul Hadi
Abdul Karim
Bukhori
Bukhory
DOB: July 6, 1977
POB: Cianjur, West Java, Indonesia
Nationality: Indonesian
Gun Gun Rusman Gunawan was a leader and founder of a JI group in Pakistan known
as Al-Ghuraba. This group was established with the approval of Gunawan's older
brother, al Qaida leader, and former JI chief of operations Hambali. The Al-Ghuraba
group was formed to groom the next generation of JI leaders, provide them with
training in weapons and explosives, and give them firsthand experience in militant
operations. The group reportedly also served as a JI sleeper cell. Gunawan instructed
Al-Ghuraba cell members on the need for jihad against the United States and for the
forceful overthrow of governments in Southeast Asia. Among other things, he provided
instruction on suicide and hijacking operations.
Gunawan was also an al Qaida facilitator and was given authority to coordinate
contact between the Al-Ghuraba cell and the Taliban. He frequently met with al Qaida
members and served in the role of a Karachi al Qaida conduit for jihadis in Pakistan.
He also served as an e-mail conduit between a senior al Qaida member and Hambali.
Gunawan was arrested in Pakistan in September 2003 and deported to Indonesia in
December 2003. In October 2004, he was convicted in Indonesia on charges that he
helped fund the August 2003 bombing of the Marriott hotel in Jakarta that killed 12
people and was sentenced to four years in jail. Gunawan admitted to facilitating the
transfer of al Qaida money to Hambali and to carrying out orders from Hambali.
Taufik Rifki
AKAs: REFKE, Taufek
RIFQI, Taufik
RIFQI, Tawfiq
Ami Iraq
Ami Irza
Amy Erja
Ammy Erza
Ammy Izza
Ami Kusoman
Abu Obaida
Abu Obaidah
Abu Obeida
Abu Ubaidah
Obaidah
Abu Obayda
Izza Kusoman
YACUB, Eric
DOB: August 29, 1974
ALT DOB: August 9, 1974
ALT DOB: August 19, 1974
ALT DOB: August 19, 1980
POB: Dacusuman Surakarta, Central Java, Indonesia
Nationality: Indonesian
As JI's finance officer in the Philippines, Taufik Rifki has served as a major conduit for
funding terrorist operations and training activities in the Philippines. Rifki has also
served as JI's logistics officer and as a liaison to other militant groups in the
Philippines. In 1998, Rifki trained in weapons, explosives and map reading at a
terrorist training camp in the Philippines and later was an instructor at the camp. He
is also suspected of involvement in various attacks across the southern Philippines,
including a series of deadly bombings in Mindanao, the Philippines, in 2003. In
October 2003 Rifki was arrested in a JI safe house in Cotabato City, the Philippines,
that reportedly held biological and chemical warfare manuals. He is currently in
detention in the Philippines.
Abdullah Anshori
AKAs: Abu Fatih
THOYIB, Ibnu
TOYIB, Ibnu
Abu Fathi
DOB: 1958
POB: Pacitan, East Java, Indonesia
Nationality: Indonesian
Abdullah Anshori was associated with JI emir Abu Bakar Ba'asyir while in Malaysia
and served as the head of the JI organization in Indonesia, which came to be known
as Mantiqi II. Additionally, Anshori represented JI at meetings of Rabitatul Mujahidin
(League of Mujahidins), an association of militant groups in the region. Anshori is one
of the most senior JI leaders still at large.
Background on Jemaah Islamiyah
The United States named JI a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) and a
Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) on October 23, 2002. Two days later, JI was
added to the United Nations 1267 Committee's consolidated list of terrorists tied to
Usama bin Laden (UBL), al Qaida or the Taliban.
Notably, 36 countries supported the UN listing of JI, the single largest designation
action to occur since the attacks of September 11, 2001. All UN member states are
required to block the assets of persons on its consolidated sanctions list, as well as
institute an arms embargo and travel ban against them.
On January 24, 2003, two senior JI leaders, Nurjaman Riduan Isamuddin, aka
Hambali, and Mohamad Iqbal Abdurrahman, aka Abu Jibril, were designated as
SDGTs under E.O. 13224. They were added to the UN 1267 Committee sanctions list
on January 28, 2003.
On September 5, 2003, an additional 19 individuals supporting and/or committing acts
of terrorism on behalf of JI, and one non-JI co-conspirator in the 1995 plot to
simultaneously blow up 12 U.S. commercial airliners while airborne, were designated
as SDGTs under E.O. 13224. These individuals were added to the UN 1267
Committee sanctions list on September 9, 2003.
On May 12, 2005, three additional key JI members were designated as SDGTs under
E.O. 13224. These individuals are Abu Rusdan, Zulkarnaen and Joko Pitono, aka
Dulmatin. They were added to the UN 1267 Committee sanctions list on May 16,
2005.
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