Terror Charges For Man – Brother At Large In Philippines
ICC Note: A man in California is has been arrested and charged with supplying funds and weapons to terrorist groups in the Philippines . These groups have a history of persecuting Christians.
By John Coté
8/3/07 Phillipines (SFGate) – A San Jose man and his brother were indicted on terrorism-related charges Thursday in connection with an al Qaeda-linked group in the Philippines that the Philippine government says has killed hundreds of people in bombings and other attacks, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
The two brothers were identified by the Justice Department as Rahmat Abdhir, a 43-year-old computer engineer from San Jose , and Zulkifli Abdhir, 41, a Malaysian citizen believed to be in the Philippines fighting a guerrilla war.
FBI agents arrested Rahmat Abdhir, also known as Sean Kasem and Sean Kalimin, on Thursday morning outside his workplace in Sunnyvale , and he made his initial appearance in U.S. District Court in San Jose , prosecutors said.
The 16-count indictment accuses him of providing at least $10,000, firearm accessories, radios, backpacks, knives and other equipment to his brother in the Philippines – who earlier this year was placed on the State Department’s list of most-wanted terror suspects. Zulkifli Abdhir remains a fugitive.
The San Jose-based brother is charged with conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists, providing material support to terrorists, contributing goods and services to a specially designated global terrorist and making false statements.
Federal prosecutors contend Zulkifli Abdhir, a U.S.-trained engineer, has been in the Philippines since August 2003, providing bomb-making training for the al Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf group, which has been blamed for killing hundreds of Filipinos in bombings and other attacks.
He is also allegedly part of the central command for Jemaah Islamiyah, the Southeast Asian terrorist network blamed for most of the major terrorist attacks in Indonesia , including the 2002 Bali nightclub bombing that killed more than 200 people…
Zulkifli Abdhir would tell his brother about gun purchases, request equipment and detail the accounts of clashes between Philippine troops and his protectors there, including elements of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which has waged a secessionist campaign in the southern Philippines for about 30 years and provided assistance to groups such as Jemaah Islamiyah and Abu Sayyaf.
“The government’s assets have increased due to the budget from the white people in your place,” Zulkifli Abdhir wrote his brother in a May 11 e-mail, according to the indictment. “Even here, last night three persons entered the area at eleven. were shot by the guards none were hurt … managed to escape .”
