The suspect of the cop killers in the Ulu Tiram Police Station in Johor had been identified as a member of the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI). With at least 20 of its members still scattered around Johor, we thought you should know a little about JI.
After all, they’re now a possible threat to Malaysia.
Jemaah Islamiyyah was formally founded by Abdullah Sungkar and Abu Bakar Bashir in 1993. Both sought shelter in Malaysia to hide from the prosecution of Suharno, the then-president of Indonesia.
The pair returned to Indonesia following the fall of Suharto’s regime in 1998, and with members from Malaysia, Singapore, and the Philippines recruited, JI slowly (but surely) planned their attacks, which terrorised the world and got themselves branded terrorists.
The late Abdullah Sungkar also had connections with Al-Qaeda and established contact with the late Osama Bin Laden, a terrorist known for the 9/11 attack in September 2001.
Why the formation of JI?
The Islamist militant group was formed to create an Islamic nation and spread its ideologies through education, indoctrination, and the media. The group has certainly made headlines for themselves throughout the decades and here are some of their most prolific attacks that claimed the lives of many innocent souls.
- 2003 JW Marriot Hotel Bombing
According to TIMES, a suicide bomber pulled into the driveway of JW Marriot Hotel in 2003 and detonated a bomb, killing not only himself but 12 other guests (11 locals, 1 Dutch national) who were near the radius. About 150 people were also injured.
The bomb was detonated with a mobile phone, and the hotel was closed for weeks before it was reopened to the public again.
6 days after the bombing, Al-Qaeda also claimed responsibility.
- Bali 2002 Car Bombs
A year prior, JI targeted a tourist spot – Bali. 2 nightclubs were bombed, killing 202 people, with 88 Australians among the victims.
Once again, Al-Qaeda was also tied to the attack. The local Sanglah hospital at that time was not equipped to treat patients of the attack, and with such a major scale, many patients had to be placed at the hotel pools near the explosion site to ease their burns.
A week after the blast, Al-Jazeera released a voice audio of Osama Laden who said the Bali bombings were in direct retaliation for support of the United States’ War on Terror and Australia’s role in the liberation of East Timor.
- Foiled SG embassy attack
Singapore NEARLY had multiple places bombed before the plan was foiled. The target, however, was specific this time – American military personnel and his family who were taking public transport from Sembawang to Yishun MRT station.
Another JI member also wanted to kidnap an officer of the Internal Security Department (ISD) to demand the release of fellow JI members, as reported on the official website of Singapore’s Ministry of Home Affairs.
With operations that involved investigators and researchers, the plan to bomb several locations in Singapore, including the American and Israeli Embassy was crippled.
- Christmas Eve Bombing
In 2000, a series of bombings took place in multiple places in Indonesia, with Al-Qaeda also involved. Multiple churches in Jakarta were bombed, including places like Pekanbaru, Medan, Bandung, and Batam Island.
4 officers in Pekanbaru met their demise while trying to disarm a bomb. 18 people, in total, lost their lives in the Christmas Eve Bombing, with over 100 other civilians injured.
By late 2021, the Indonesian counter-terrorism force said that nearly 900 members of JI had been caught and sentenced in Indonesia.
The fact remains that a portion of the member of JI are still scattered around the world, spreading their ideologies. Despite fewer attacks in recent years, we hope the authorities around the world can take necessary actions to put an end to whatever terror that JI still has in mind.
