US embassy cable - 05MANILA1350

UNCLAS MANILA 001350 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT FOR EAP/PMBS, DS/IP/EAP, INR/EAP, DS/DSS/ITA-TCREHAN 
DEPT PASS TO USIP-SOLOMON 
NSC FOR GREEN 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PTER, PREL, ASEC, PINS, RP 
SUBJECT: PHILIPPINES ANNOUNCES ARREST OF INDONESIAN JI 
TERRORIST 
 
REF: A. MANILA 836 
 
     B. MANILA 979 
     C. MANILA 1199 
 
1.  (SBU) The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) announced 
at a March 22 press conference its units had captured Rohmat 
(aka Zaki aka Zaky aka Hamdan aka Akil aka Jeji), an 
Indonesian suspected of serving as a Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) 
liaison to the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG).  According to the AFP, 
Rohmat was present when ASG leaders planned the February 14 
bombings in Makati (Manila), General Santos City, and Davao 
City, which killed eight people and wounded more than 150 
others.  According to AFP intelligence officials, Rohmat 
helped train ASG bomb-makers how to use mobile phones to 
trigger explosions.  "With Zaki's capture, the Philippine 
government has dealt another serious blow to the JI's and the 
ASG's financial linkages, operational capability and 
organizational morale," claimed Armed Forces Deputy Chief of 
Staff Lieutenant General Edilberto Adan.  The US Department 
of Defense's Rewards Program has offered US $50,000 for 
Rohmat. 
2.  (SBU) Intelligence officials alleged that Rohmat 
illegally entered the Philippines via Zamboanga City in 
January 2000 and trained at the MILF's Camp Abubakar in 
Maguindanao, before moving to Camp Jabal Quba in Butig town, 
Lanao del Sur province after the AFP overran Camp Abubakar in 
2000.  In 2001, he allegedly began training ASG members on 
explosives in Patikul, Jolo, Sulu.  Rohmat reportedly told 
investigators that individuals associated with the Moro 
Islamic Liberation Front's (MILF) 105th Base Command had 
sheltered him while he recuperated after being wounded in 
November 2004 during an air raid on Datu Piang town. 
3.  (SBU)  GRP sources confirmed to poloff that they 
considered Rohmat a JI "important member" but noted that his 
capture actually took place on March 16. 
 
4.  (SBU) Comment: The AFP may have delayed announcing 
Rohmat's capture until the beginning of the long weekend 
marking the Easter holidays in an attempt to reassure a 
jittery public fearful of possible ASG/JI terrorist attacks 
during Holy Week.  In the absence of anti-terrorism 
legislation, the GRP is able to hold Rohmat without bail only 
on immigration charges.  In any eventual trial, GRP 
prosecutors will face significant legal difficulties in 
turning sensitive intelligence into a conviction on anything 
beyond immigration charges in open court.  This arrest again 
highlights the need for a tough and more comprehensive 
Anti-Terrorism law here.  Embassy continues working closely 
with both Administration and Congressional figures interested 
in pushing this legislation, particularly in the wake of the 
Valentine's Day bombings. End comment. 
 
Visit Embassy Manila's Classified SIPRNET website: 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eap/manila/index. cfm 
 
You can also access this site through the State Department's 
Classified SIPRNET website: 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/ 
Ricciardone