Jemaah Islamiah Added to National and U.N. Terror List

On October 22, 2002, the U.S. State Department announced it will list Jemaah Islamiah (JI) as a terrorist organization and efforts grew to add JI to the U.N. list of terrorist organizations. According to the media source, the State Department said JI is being listed due to its connections with al Qaeda and its plans to attack embassies and diplomatic buildings in Singapore. In addition, its leaders had admitted to church bombings in Indonesia. JI will become the 35th organization the U.S. Department of State has designated as a terrorist group. As a result, persons contributing funds risk prosecution. In December 2001, authorities in Singapore arrested 15 JI members, some of whom had traded in al Qaeda camps in Afghanistan. The group allegedly had planned to attack the U.S. and Israeli embassies, as well as British and Australian diplomatic buildings. The listing of JI by national governments as well as the UN will make it more difficult for JI to move money and for its members to travel internationally.