Marwan e-mails dying declaration

From the Philippine Star (Feb 7): Marwan e-mails dying declaration

Malaysian terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir reportedly wrote his brother in 2006 instructing him to dispose of his inheritance from their father and give them to his two children if he died “as a martyr.”

Zulkifli had e-mailed his elder brother Rahmat, a naturalized US citizen currently serving sentence for conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists.

“If I died as a martyr, and if there was some inheritance from the sale of dad’s land, please don’t forget about my two children here. Please don’t forget to transfer them into the same account that you’ve been using,” Zulkifli, also known as Marwan, wrote his brother in July 2006.

Marwan repeatedly emailed his brother detailing the firefights between the Philippine military and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

“Two martyred, 20 troops died. From here, the location is about six or seven hours away on foot. The fighting is still going on until now. I can hear it from my location. It started early morning from 6 o’clock until evening. I think it has been going on for eight days now. Earlier today, a helicopter was flying back and forth over in that area. You can hear it from here,” Marwan told his brother in an email on June 30, 2006.
Marwan said 27 government troops died in the battle against five in the MILF. He did not say where the fighting took place.

“My friend was just telling me again that there are four martyrs now. He is in the field right now. The other day, two of my friends from here (they’re about five kilometers from my location) went out to reinforce. He wanted to join the battle. In the future, I want to go when there is need for reinforcement. I can’t go by myself. I must have a local guide with me,” Marwan said.

In several email messages, Marwan detailed how it was to live among “martyrs.”
He also mentioned the involvement of the US government in the battle of the Philippine government against Muslim rebels.

He said the US military is using Orion spy planes and Predator drones to help Philippine troops monitor the movements of the Muslim rebels.

Marwan also mentioned a “J” among them, apparently referring to a member of the regional terror network Jemaah Islamiyah (JI).

The JI was tagged in the 2002 Bali bombings where 202 people were killed.

“J” could also mean “jihadist,” someone engaged in a holy war against unbelievers of Islam.

In another email, Marwan said, “On July 10, 2006 approximately ten days after the death of A. Hashim, one squad of Special Action Forces (SAF) commandos, around 15 people, armed with M-4s, mini-M-60, 9mm pistols, 45 caliber pistols, night vision, and guided by government assets (spies) surrounded Lagu’s home with objective of capturing him (maybe alive).

“His house was broken into and the door got torn off. His wife and child were able to get out before the exchange of fire. Three of Lagu’s neighbors with Armalite rifles were able to assist until the attacking commandos withdrew. As a result, two commandos died, including team leader. One M-4 Armalite, one Taurus 9mm pistol, one .45 Norincol pistol, one night vision, one led diode flashlight, two M-60 belts with 200 rounds were seized.

“Lagu was asleep already in the house, protected by Allah. The people there took all of the spoils of war. Man! The rifles were new, the latest,” he said.

Rifles for sale

On Sept. 1, 2006, Rahmat reportedly wire transferred to Marwan the amount $5,500 through a Maybank account in the name of Minah binti Aogis Abd Aziz.

On or about Sept. 30, 2006, Zulkifli sent email to Rahmat, “If you have some available, please send a little bit more.”

“Over here people are ready to go to war. The US Orion spy plane has been circling the sky around the areas here during these past 3 to 4 days.”

Again Marwan wrote to his brother on Nov. 9, 2006, “We will know whether there will be a war or not by the 16th of November that would be the deadline for the Philippine government to submit the counter proposal to the MILF.”

Marwan also revealed corruption in the Philippine military.

“Commander A. Wahid says that there is a soldier who wants to sell a new .50 caliber for US$5,000. He said that he can only afford $2,000 and asked to find the remaining $3,000… The government assets (spies) at Pikit are regular people, not commanders. Among the five assets the other day, two of them died. One died three days after the Aug. 10th incident for stealing a motorcycle. He was caught by the locals and beaten to death. The other one died around two or three days before the Raya celebration, shot by an Armalite. The shooters were friends of Lagu’s neighbors,” he said.

On Feb. 9, 2007, Marwan sent Rahmat an email saying how some MILF commanders have double loyalties.

“Adan Abdula is the base commander of division 106. He has his left foot on the MILF, and his right foot on Datu Andal. When they have battle with Amer Umra Kato from division 105, his troops become Andal’s dogs merged with Andal’s troops. Was shot by someone...” Marwan said in referring to Andal Ampatuan, one of the accused in the Maguindanao massacre in 2009 and Kato, the leader of the breakaway Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters that vowed to go against the peace negotiations of the MILF with the Philippine government.

On March 6, 2007, Marwan sent an email to Rahmat telling him he was constantly on the run.

“The latest update I heard was that 17 died as martyrs and more than 60 soldiers were killed. The American soldiers operated unmanned Predator spy plane, which has been hovering around more than four times above Bngla’s house. I am currently mobile, moving from one place to another.”

Marwan later sent an email saying US spy planes were hovering over his area.

“Spy planes have been hovering over this area these past two days. There is a big (US Orion). There is a small one that looks like an eagle (Predator). This FM radio receiver has been picking up American voices during these past two days: ‘We are ready to launch.’”

Marwan said the Americans have joined the Filipino troops for joint exercise in his area.

“Do you still have the radio scanner that you used to have? How much does a set cost? The latest update is that more than twenty died as martyrs, more than 70 soldiers killed, and more than a hundred injured,” Marwan told his elder brother.

DNA sample

Zulkifli and Rahmat were charged in violation of a 9/11-inspired International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) in the US.

Under this law, the US President has authority to “investigate, regulate, or prohibit” transactions involving “any property in which any foreign country or a national thereof has any interest by any person, or with respect to any property, subject to the jurisdiction of the United States.”

On Sept. 23, 2001, President George W. Bush, based on IEEPA, issued Executive Order No. 13224, entitled “Blocking Property and Prohibiting Transactions with Persons Who Commit, Threaten to Commit or Support Terrorism” to address “the terrorist attacks in New York, Pennsylvania and the Pentagon committed on Sept. 11, 2001” and “the continuing and immediate threat of further attacks on US nationals or the United States.”

Without naming Rahmat as Zulkifli’s relative, the FBI could have used the DNA of Rahmat to match his brother’s based on the sentencing guidelines pronounced by Judge Jeremy Fogel of the US District Court in Northern California.

Fogel had ordered Rahmat to “cooperate in the collection of DNA as directed by the probation officer.”

The DNA sample provided by Rahmat was used to compare the biological sample supposedly taken from Zulkifli’s body in the Philippines.

Following a 20-minute hearing on Aug. 26, 2010, Fogel sentenced Rahmat to spend 120 months in a federal prison, three years’ supervised release and $100 special assessment fee.

Rahmat had pleaded guilty to a single count of conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists in the offense and dismissed the rest of the indictments returned by a grand jury on Aug. 1, 2007.

Had Rahmat gone to trial, he would have faced 15 years in prison and $250,000 fine if he were convicted on charges of conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists.

Because Rahmat is “not considered a threat the United States,” Fogel said he “should be housed accordingly” and be “remanded to the Custody of the US Marshal” and his “appearance bond is hereby exonerated.”

Since Rahmat could not be deported because he is a US naturalized citizen, Fogel also ordered him to a three-year supervised release and report to the probation office in the district of release within 72 hours from the custody of the Bureau of Prisons.

Rahmat was also ordered to “not unlawfully possess a controlled substance” and “shall submit to one drug test within 15 days of release from imprisonment and two periodic drug tests.”

However, the “drug testing condition is suspended based on the court’s determination that the defendant poses a low risk of future substance abuse” and the “defendant shall not possess a firearm, ammunition, destructive device, or any other dangerous weapon.”

Rahmat, 51, is currently detained at the Federal Correctional Institution Lompoc, a low security institution in Lompoc, California. He is scheduled to be released on April 18, 2016.

Rahmat was indicted by a grand jury based on records unsealed on Aug. 1, 2007.
The indictments were based on a series of exchanges of email messages between Rahmat and Marwan “beginning on a date unknown and continuing through at least August 2007 in the Northern District of California and elsewhere.”

In sending terrorism materials, Rahmat used his sender’s names as “Sean Kasem, Sean Kalimin, Roy Kalimin and Salam A. Jabar” while he addressed the packages to his younger brother under the aliases as “Zulkifli Bin Abdul Hir, Hulagu, Holagu, Lagu, Marwan, Kulon, Musa Abdul, Musa Abdul Hir, Zulkifli Abdul Hir, Zulkifli bin Hir, Abdul Hir bin Zulkifli, Abdulhir Bin Hir and Bin Abdul Hir Zulkifli.”

Rahmat used his email address of ariman789@yahoo.com and sends his email to his brother under the email handles, ikankariman@yahoo.com and dutyfree97@yahoo.com.

In their email exchanges, Marwan wanted Rahmat to send him “accessories for firearms, backpacks, Insignia two-way radios, knives and publications about firearms” to the Philippines, using such codes as “iron” for firearms, “dogs” for government agents and “prizes and presents” for bombs or IEDs (improvised explosive devices).

Zulkifli was either born on Jan. 5, 1966 or Oct. 5, 1966 in Muar, Johor, Malaysia. He speaks Malaysian, English, Tagalog and Arabic. He was an engineer trained in the US. Zulkifli was said to be the head of Kumpulun Mujahidin Malaysia (KMM) terrorist organization and a ranking member of JI central command. He trained terrorist organizations in bomb making, including the notorious Abu Sayyaf in southern Philippines.

http://digitaledition.philstar.com/articles/2015-02-07/news/marwan-e-mails-dying-declaration/90904