Norian said police confirmed reports that several of the KMM members had links with Zacarias Moussaoui, a Moroccan with French nationality whom the United States has charged with conspiring with terrorists linked to Osama bin Laden in the hijacking of two commercial aircraft which were used in the Sept 11 suicide attacks on the World Trade Centre in New York.
Checks with the Immigration Department confirmed that Moussaoui was in the country between Sept 4, 2000, and Sept 15, 2000, and also on Oct 5, 2000.
Norian said police are also checking reports that one of the arrested KMM members had links with Khalid al-Midhar and Nawaf al-Hazmi, who allegedly piloted the aircraft that crashed into the Pentagon.
Norian said all the 13 alleged KMM members took instructions from two “directing figures,” both Indonesians who are on the run from the law, namely Abu Bakar @ Abdus Samad Abud, who is the leader or Amir of the Majlis Mujahidin Indonesia, and his deputy Hambali @ Riduan Isamuddin, who received military training in Afghanistan.
Norian also alleged that the 13 arrested were linked to the KMM members headed by Nik Adli Nik Aziz, the son of Kelantan Mentri Besar Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat.
Malaysians are very concerned by Norian’s revelations that:
After the September 11 suicide terrorist attacks, there is greater
awareness, concern and fear worldwide about terrorist activities and Malaysia
is no exception. There is also, at the same time, concern that certain
authorities had or would be exploiting the post-9/11 scenario to justify
more repressive crackdowns on civil liberties, even using trumped-up charges
to sustain the fear syndrome over terrorist activities.
Malaysians will give full support to the government to stamp out terrorist activities in the country and to root out terrorist cells committed to the use of force to overthrow the elected government - but the government must take the people into its confidence and convince them of the case against every person arrested for being a terrorist.
As the police seems to have amassed considerable evidence,such as a detailed training manual outlining 40 weeks of intense guerilla warfare, including the handling of various firearms, setting up of booby-traps and ways to conduct commando-style ambushes, in a seizure during a police blitz on a KMM group, the government must be more forthcoming about information about terrorist groups in the country.
The Inspector-General of Police should in fact call an all-party meeting to present the evidence to leaders of all political parties, whether Barisan Nasional, Barisan Alternative or the DAP, of the existence, scale and activities of KMM to declare a jihad to set up an Islamic state by force.
In this connection, there is no better and more effective way for the government to convince Malaysians of the credibility of its case against the terrorists as well as its commitment to the rule of law than for the police to charge the 13 alleged KMM members in court for a public trial to be held, and not to detain them under detention-without trial ISA.
(5/1/2002)