Washington, Sept 05: The United States announced today it had ordered a freeze on the financial assets of 10 alleged members of the al Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) group. "This designation is yet another important step in the ongoing effort by the international community to shut down JI terrorist opportunities in Southeast Asia," treasury secretary John Snow said.

"Today's action identifies 10 individuals at the heart of the network," he said in a statement released here before giving a news conference on the action at an Asia-Pacific economic gathering in Phuket, Thailand.
JI is blamed for a string of attacks including Indonesian church bombings which killed 19 people on Christmas eve 2000, the Bali blasts last October 12 that left 202 people dead and last month's Jakarta Marriott Hotel blast that claimed 12 lives.

"These terrorists have worked to achieve al-Qaida's terrorist goals in Southeast Asia," Snow said.

"They have plotted to assassinate international leaders, they have planned and supported attacks such as the Bali bombing -- a horrific act that took lives of 200 people and wounded 300," he added.
"We look forward to working with our allies in the region to dismantle JI -- to shut down their sources of financing and support, and to eliminate the threat that they present to the people of Southeast Asia.”

The US designation would freeze assets belonging to the 10 JI members in the United States and prohibit all transactions between them and US citizens.
Bureau Report