Malaysian 'had been an active JI member'

From the New Straits Times (Dec 17): Malaysian 'had been an active JI member'

KUALA LUMPUR: PHILIPPINE security forces saved countless lives when they homed in on Malaysian Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) member in Davao before shooting him dead. Intelligence sources said 26-year-old Mohd Noor Fikrie Abd Kahar had been planning to blow up a hotel in the city, similar to the JW Marriott Hotel bombing in Jakarta in 2009. A source said Fikrie was an expert in bomb-making, having been trained by Johor-born JI member Zulkifli Hir. Zulkifli, 45, had been described as one of the key terror suspects in Southeast Asia. He had been a fugitive for more than a decade and the United States had a US$5 million (RM15 million) bounty on his head until he was killed in a dawn strike on a militant camp in remote southern Jolo Island on Feb 2. Fikrie avoided arrest in July during a raid by Philippine security forces in the south.

The eldest of four siblings, he was married in 2005 and had three daughters aged between 3 and 6. His divorce was finalised before he left for the Philippines in April. "Fikrie met his second wife, a Filipina named Annabelle Nieva Lee, there. They got married in July," said the source, adding that police believed Fikrie had been active for quite awhile.

Asked whether his remains would be brought back to Malaysia, the source said police here were awaiting clearance from the Philippines government for the body to be released. "It will take some time as they have to follow procedures and complete their investigations."

Fikrie and Lee had checked out of the Sampaguita Hotel in Davao at 10.30pm on Friday when they were confronted by security forces in the lobby. During a scuffle, Fikrie took out a mobile phone and threatened to detonate an improvised explosive device (IED) inside a backpack carried by Lee. The security forces then backed away, allowing the couple to run out of the hotel at which point they split up, with Fikrie grabbing the backpack from his wife. The Malaysian was later shot dead after a short chase, and a bomb squad defused the IED. Lee was arrested on suspicion of being a member of Balik Islam. The movement comprises of Muslim converts which had attracted the attention of Philippine security forces. A small group of members of the movement were also part of another movement which had militant ideas.

http://www.nst.com.my/nation/general/malaysian-had-been-an-active-ji-member-1.187325