Manila, Nov 04: Leaders of the militant Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) group and al Qaeda passed through the Philippines but did not establish cells or strong links with local Islamic extremists, president Gloria Arroyo's spokesman said today. Members of al Qaeda met local Muslim separatists here in the 1980s, but "the presence of people linked to the al Qaeda now is a soft link," spokesman Rigoberto Tiglao said.
The al Qaeda network has claimed responsibility for the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States while the Ji, with suspected links to the network of Saudi-born extremist Osama bin Laden, is thought to have been involved in the October 12 bombing on Indonesia's resort island of Bali. Two Indonesians with alleged ties to the Ji, Fathur Rohman al Ghozi and Agus Dwikarna, have been convicted for possession of explosives and are implicated in alleged bomb plots in the region.
A series of bomb blasts in the southern Philippines and manila last month killed 23 people and injured more than 200 have fanned fears the country was a target of the ji-led terror campaign in southeast Asia.

Bureau Report