U.S. designates two as terrorists linked to Jemaah Islamiayah

The United States has designated and blocked the assets of two men linked to the organization Jemaah Islamiayah, says State Department spokesman Richard Boucher.

"The two are Nurjaman Riduan Ismuddin, commonly known as Hambali, and Mohamad Iqbal Abdurrahman, commonly known as Abu Jibril. Both have close ties to al-Qaeda," Boucher said January 24 in a prepared statement.

Boucher said that Hambali is a senior leader of Jemaah Islamiyah. The US said the group has "a long record of involvement in terrorist activities, including the targeting of U.S. interests."

Additionally, Boucher said, "information indicates that Hambali was involved in a 1995 plot to bomb 11 U.S. commercial airliners in Asia and directed the late 2001 foiled plot to attack U.S. and Western interests in Singapore. Hambali is the head of the group's regional 'shura,' or policymaking body. He also is considered the group's director of operations, oversees its financing, and serves as the primary interface with al-Qaeda. He is suspected of being al-Qaeda's operations director for the East Asia region."

Boucher said that Mohamad Iqbal Abdurrahman ("Abu Jibril") is a close associate of Hambali, and was Jemaah Islamiayah's primary recruiter and second in command. He ran the group's operations and headed its regional "shura" -- before his arrest by Malaysian authorities in June 2001, according to multiple sources Boucher said.