Indonesian JI Ties to Somali Gun Runners Arrested in Yemen

By Zachary Abuza

On 16 October 2006, Yemeni security forces arrested a group of eight foreigners who were involved in running guns to the Islamic Courts Union, the Islamist group that has taken control of the Somali capital of Mogadishu. [See the excellent posts onthis site by Douglas Farrah on the situation in Somalia]. The eight foreigners included a Yemeni and four Europeans - a Dane, Britain, German, an undisclosed European national - all converts to Islam. It also included three Australian nationals - though there are some reports that a fourth Australian was also detained. Two of the Australians are brothers, born to an Indonesian father. Australian security officials disclosed that all three Australian nationals were students at the al-Iman University in Sanaa, which was run by Abdul al-Majid al-Zindani, who has previously been cited by the US Government as having links to al Qaeda.

Australian security officials have expressed concern that the two brothers, Abdullah and Mohammed, have some connection to Jemaah Islamiyah. It is now reported that they are the children of Abdulrahim Ayub. Abdulrahim and his twin brother Abdulrahman were senior JI members who were in charge of establishing JI’s Mantiqi IV in Australia. Abdulrahman fought in Afghanistan with Al Qaeda in the 1980s.

The brothers arrested in Yemen were arrested with their mother Rabiah Hutchinson. Rabiah converted to Islam when she married her husband in 1984 in Indonesia. The Ayub twins were Australian residents, but Abdulrahman was forced out of the country in 1999. He has been tracked to Mindanao, in the southern Philippines where he is thought to be leading training for new JI recruits. Abdulrahim and his wife fled Australia immediately after the 12 October 2002 Bali bombings, which killed 202 people. They were thought to be hiding in the outskirts of Jakarta. It is not known whether Abdulrahim is with his family in Yemen, or if he is still hiding in Java.

The Ayub twins are some of the most senior dozen JI members at large.

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