BLURRING THE LINES: TERRORISM OR CRIMINAL COPYCAT?
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8. BLURRING THE LINES: TERRORISM OR CRIMINAL COPYCAT?
To highlight the limitation of accuracy at the time, the chlorine bombings provide an indication of the continuous struggle by authorities fighting the IS. In February 2015, a small bomb
exploded in the men’s toilet Setiawan 2015 of the ITC Mall in Depok. Containing chlorine and low type of explosives, the bombing was seen as a first in Indonesia but it failed to properly
detonate. The bomb was designed to send chlorine gas through the malls air conditioning ducts Roberts 2015. Police considered this a IS signature and its use was the first known in
Indonesia which had been used extensively by IS militants in Syria and Iraq. No one was injured in the blast Marhaenjati 2015.
Contributing to the confusing messages were the fact that the chemical composition and wiring was determined to be similar to the explosives found in Cibiru, Bandung, in August 2010. Fahri
Tanjung aka Hilmi aka Hamzah was part of a cell planning to carry out car bomb attacks and linked to
Abu Bakar Ba’asyir’s newest group, the Jama’ah Ansharut Tauhid JAT Saragih 2010.
On July 9, 2015, another toilet bomb was detonated at the Alam Sutera Mall. A few months later, on Wednesday, October 28, 2015, a third bomb was detonated in the same mall located
in Serpong, Tangerang The Jakarta Post 2015. Following the failed March 2015 chlorine bombs, the operational tempo and concerns by the police changed, and by October 2015, a 30-
year-old suspect, Leopard aka Leopard Vishnu Kumala Kistyarini 2015, was arrested. The motive was determined to be criminal Panjimas 2015. The suspect wanted to extort 100
bitcoins with a bomb threat Kistyarini 2015. Nevertheless, the use of bitcoin payment appeared within the Islamic State context.
On 29 October 2014, reports emerged of an Islamic State-Bitcoin nexus arguing bitcoins are in use by the IS Charles 2014. In the online blog titled,
Al-Khilafah Aridat
–
The Caliphate Has Returned
Alkhilafaharidat 2014
,
the publication outlined the security use of Bitcoin
101
and other online security measures such as Ghost VPNs and the use of bitcoins. This was refuted
by a Europol report following the 13 November Paris attacks.
Source: Kompas.com
The report states, There is no evidence however of IS-financing networks in existence. Despite third party reporting suggesting the use of anonymous currencies like bitcoin by terrorists to
finance their activities, this has not been confirmed by law enforcement. Charlton 2016 One
statement is of concern, “The financing of terrorist operations has not undergone any marked
101
Ibid.
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changes in the recent past.
The sources of funding of the operatives in the EU are largely unknown
.
102
However, the Ghost Security Group seized a bitcoin address related to IS and locked 9,554 Bitcoins Sameeh 2015 that were going to be used to spread terror.
ISIL’s adept use of social media makes the headlines, but the appeal of the Dark Web lies first and foremost in the
anonymity of its services. Sadaqa private donations constitute one of ISIL’s main sources of revenue, and its supporters around the world have allegedly used digital currencies such as
Bitcoin to transfer money quickly to accounts held by ISIL militants while minimizing the risk of detection Berton 2015. Another example was the bomb scare in Kuala Lumpur with using
pipe bombs in a criminal gang scenario blurring the line between crime and terrorism. Straits Times 2016 This is a new bandwagon, copycat evolution with criminals emulating terrorist
tactics.
Source: Strait Times Straits Times 2016
9.
CAPABILITIES: WEAPONS, TACTICS AND STRATEGIES
Three key elements of any successful terror operation must be present. Knowledge, Intent Intelligence Quiggin 2007. Whereas a focus on weapons and tactics is examined
ad nauseam,
we focus on the evolutionary process of terrorism tactics going forward. At this time, we find the tactical execution of Indonesian extremist operations identical to any other historical terror
group. For example, records suggest that for nearly two 2 years, previous, failed attacks overseen by
the leader of the Paris assault, Abdelhamid Abaaoud, served as test runs for Islamic State preparing for attacks against Western European targets Times 2016. Warnings issued by
Islamic States and pre-January 2016 activities across Malaysia, the Philippines and Indonesia provided a clear indication of an attack being prepared. Going forward this trend will continue.
The discovery of a passport forgery ring in Thailand, training of military capable operational cells, concealment and bomb making capabilities, as well as enhanced encryption and
improvement of operational security to evade detection prior to the January attack shows an evolution of capability is increasing. In Paris, the Islamic State assault teams were
comparatively disciplined to previous cells Times, Straits Times 2016
103
. Phones and
102
Ibid.
103
In comparison to the Indonesian attack, the logistics network in Europe is well developed included, Kalashnikov assault rifles, a submachine gun, pistols, ammunition, four boxes containing thousands
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numbers were discarded, and on some occasions, phones from victims were used. Reports show the use of sophisticated encryption software looking “like a bund of lines, like lines of a code.”
Rukmini Callimachi 2016 In the case the Bangladesh JMB, reports emerge a new breed of militant is entering the
extremists stream. Reports claim they have developed their own messaging software. Police is unable to intercept their communications through mobile phones or the Internet at this junction.
The increase in sophistication in Indonesia is expected to spread through the Internet Straits Times 2016 with extremists sharing information.
In post-Paris environment,
French security reports suggested a ‘widely held view Islamic State was incapable of carrying out large-
scale assaults’. This view has been dismissed today. It is in our view the current class of politicians who favor populist politics - both France and
Indonesia are currently having leftist, socialist type of presidents in offices – promoting soft
policies on terrorism which provide a fertile ground for the rise of extremists on both sides of the political spectrum to rise.
The view often held by both, political and business leaders, that these groups are unable to mount large attacks
104
, in the absence of any attack, must be viewed with a more critical outlook. Indonesian jihadi groups are limited by capabilities and resources and have not been
able to reform, resupply and re-organize themselves. In Singapore, the 27 Bangladeshis deported by Singaporean authorities were secretly meeting
at a few mosques every week since 2013 Kok, Straits Times 2016 to circulate translated material subscribing to extremist beliefs and teachings of Anwar al-Awlaki and carefully target
fellow Bangladeshi workers Cheong 2016
105
to join the Islamic State of Bangladesh Hussain, Straits Times 2016. The case shows that the planning and recruitment executed in Singapore
with the aim to target Bangladesh. Nevertheless, the same tactic could be applied against Singaporean targets.
The Paris and Jakarta attacks provide some insight in the ever-evolving tactics. In Jakarta, the
“men in the yellow T-shirt” was claimed being identified as a possible video photographer documenting the attack for propaganda purposes
106
. In the Paris attack, we can find an indicator on traditional tradecraft, which in our view, will be copied by jihadists in the Asian regions.
Following the attack, French authori ties found ‘crates’ of mobile phones and traces of
improved bomb making material Rukmini Callimachi 2016. Part of the external operations wing tactics include making of suicide vests, coordinating and planning, staging bombings to
of small steel balls, stolen French passports, brand-new cellphones, a tear-gas canister and two computers with instructions on how to make explosives
104
Ibid.
105
Islamic State in Bangladesh ISB began in January, 2016 on void-decks. Draftsman Rahman Mizanur, 31 was radicalized in April 2015 by Jahangir Alam - who gave him ISIS-related documents. Rahman has failed thrice to
get a visa to travel to Turkey and Algeria. He then came to Singapore to work in December 2015 and by January commenced recruited ISB members before being arrested on 29 March 2016. The group swore an oath of
alliance to follow Islamic State. March meeting, and shared a five-page document on counter-surveillance methods. Funds raised were designed to buy food, firearms and knives for the campaign targeting police, Hindus,
Christians and Buddhists.
106
The report was made in a closet door security briefing. The claim made was not confirmed at the time of this report.
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hamper police response, transnational movement to avoid detection, and acquiring false documents.
Reports suggested the bombers wearing bulky overcoats to conceal the suicide bomb, which was triggered by a 9-Volt battery. The detonation cord was secured with a white adhesive tape
around the limbs of the attacker. The attackers at the French national soccer stadium used tracksuits wearing logos of the German soccer team in an attempt to blend in.
In Paris, Triacetone Triperoxide or TATP was used with over the counter common products, such as hair bleach and nail polish remover. In 2014, in a failed attempt to target Cannes, three
Red Bull energy drink cans were found filled with white TATP powder
107
. The use of TATP is favored because the ingredients are easily available. However, the material is known to be
very unstable requiring a relatively skilled-bomb maker. Solid scientific evidence examination and collaboration will be, in the future, more critical to
examine the bomb making capabilities
108
. That visual record is vital. The way a bomb maker has soldered a joint or twisted a wire can reveal if he or she is left- or right-handed. Certain
techniques or constructions can serve as a signature for an individual or a group of bomb makers Dillow 2015.
With imprisoned hardliners reentering society, youngsters are recruited through the Khilafah movement, and cross over recruits are incorporated into the structures.
The relatively low death toll in the Jakarta assault suggested the involvement of local, poorly armed militants with little or no training Kapoor and Fabi 2016. However, these amateur
Indonesian terrorists have repeatedly shown resilience and commitment to fight for the cause. The attack should be seen as an evolutionary process of a learning organization rather than
being carried out correctly with the desired results. The Sarinah attack in Jakarta qualifies as
“Jihad by any means”. Mass casualties is the aim, but if it does not work, it still counts towards credit in the Jihadi afterlife.
Examining some of the video footage, the handgun posture of one of the shooters, Afif, does indicate some form of rudimentary firearm training. The lack of a greater death toll is more
likely the result of tactical inexperience, only matched by the lack of firearms held by the police officers on the intersection where the shoot-out occurred.
Police officials were quick to point out that the hand fire guns were not from police or the army Kuwado 2016 and early reports claimed the handguns were from the Philippines. However,
this can be safely disputed. Research suggesting a brazen and revealing fact that the weapons and weapon parts were obtained by a trusted prisoner, part of the cleaning staff in Tangerang
prison, having access to the keys of the prison’s weapons storeroom making duplicates. The convicted robber, then by NovemberDecember 2015, turned over five 5 weapons to
imprisoned Islamic State supporters for 10 million IDR. They were smuggled out in a suitcase on 23 December 2015. The robber-cum-cleaning staff stole four more guns and smuggled them
107
Ibid.
108
The FBI maintains the Terrorist Explosive Device Analytical Center TEDAC. A similar center is needed in Asia as the sophistication is expected to increase in particularly within the jihadists returning from Iraq and
Syria. see this
; 26 January 2014; accessed on: 1 March 2016
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out on 13 January 2016. The attack commenced the next day Jones, Academia 2016. Two days later, Henro was arrested being under surveillance and the Tangerang prisoners were taken
for interrogation
109
. Besides this being outstanding research by Sidney Jones, the findings dispute the public image weapons are widely in circulation and the Sarinah attack was a Syrian-
led effort. The evidence points towards an Indonesian action. The bombs were all of similar make at the Starbucks shopping center and the police post, except
for different materials used for the casing. Police raided a rented house of Ali Mahmudin, one of the attackers who was killed, in Desa Langgen, Keb. Talang, Central Java. The location
served as one to produce shell casings for bombs. One of the bombs were made from gas cylinders while others were made of steel pipes. The
detonator was equally crude using bulb fuses to a battery, which was linked to the explosive device. Nails and bolts were used to fill the bombs. The Forensic examination determined that
such materials can be easily used anywhere Promchertchoo, Channel News Asia 2016.
Source: Blogspot Blogspot 2016
Examining video footage suggests one of the devices exploded accidentally. This is associated with the crude fuse used by the attackers. The crude, constructed fuses make the reliability of
the making the home-made bombs and grenades unstable. Police stated in a media conference,
“…The gunmen wound up being injured by an explosion after one of their grenades went off accidentally bef
ore it could be lobbed at police. “The explosion was not an attempt to commit suicide. It was caused by an explosive device, a type of grenade. But
before they could throw it, it exploded …..
110
To highlight the ineffectiveness of the bombs in use, the lack of detonation damage on vehicles, for example, shows the low explosive impact on a simple vehicle door.
109
Ibid.
110
Ibid.
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Source : Jakarta Police via CBS CBS News 2016
In comparison to the rather crude Sarinah attack logistical structure, reports of the Mujahidin Indonesia Timur Eastern Mujahidin IndonesiaMIT show different logistics emerging. For
example, recent reports show woman armed with M- 16’s showing a more serious logistic
system in place to source military weapons. The rise of woman fighters and subsequently female suicide bombers joining the jihad of their
husbands is only a question of time and evolution. Examples of woman in pursue martyrdom
becoming a ‘
syahid
’ is displayed openly in social media. “Nabilla” is one of such example.
Source: Twitter Nabbil 2014
The call for woman fulfilling the duties of their fighter males was also identified in 2010 in Facebook postings of a Greenpeace New Media manager in the Philippines showing the erosion
of the ideology and causes intersect as a matter of convenience.
“….We only need to look at some of the top Mujaahideen from among the Sahaabah and Tabi’een who had children yet did not see them except in very rare occasions,
whereas others did not see them at all as the father was too busy on the da’wah field or
battle field whilst his wife was delivering a baby
111
. Dear Muslim sisters, you are
the hope of your daa’ie husband to carry the responsibilities from his shoulders and enable him to be fit
and go out to the da’wah field or jihad without to be concerned about his responsibilities towards you and his
children by being firm, patient, supportive and appreciative and accepting any destiny
111
Social media comment by Greenpeace activist; information withheld for security reasons
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that Allaah has designated for you and for the test which Allaah inflicts upon you by having a daa’ie husband
112
. The difficulties and the dangers which will occur in the way, the bloody arrows which
have been shot towards his chest and all other attacks from all directions will make him seriously need to have beside him a wife that understands the needs of the level of
da’wah which he is at, to be patient with him, firm and supportive in his way which is full of thorns, hardship and pain. She must be patient, firm and realise that her husband
is not the first and only one who walks on this path full of mines and thorns; rather
history is full of men who have paid blood as a price for the da’wah and the Deen of Islam
113
…..” The role of radicalized followers of jihadi tendencies are widespread, and as the example shown
here, present in transnational non-governmental organizations such as Greenpeace. The author, part of the Greenpeace public recruitment pool, appeared joined in 2007 and by 2010 was part
of the new media online media campaign. We see a jihadi mindset expressed in symbolic communications as part of identity crisis or as
a manifestation. By 2015, the Greenpeace activist, now claiming working for the Asian Development Bank, expressed his support for the Bangsamoro Basic Law, which following the
killing and execution of 44 Special Action Force members in the Mamasapano clash, was stalled.
Source: Support for the B.B.L social media
114
The role of women joining the jihad of their husbands is in the evolution of terror groups also not new. In recent reports, three women were identified as Jumiatun Muslim alias Atun alias
Bunga
115
alias Umi Delima, Santoso’s alias Abu Wardah current wife, and Tini Susanti Kaduku alias Umi Fadel Sangadji, The Jakarta Post 2016, present wife of MIT member Ali Kalora.
The third is identified as Nurmi Usman alias Oma
116
, now married to another MIT member named Basri.
112
Ibid.
113
Ibid.
114
Identity withheld for security reasons
115
Bunga means flower or money
116
Means grandmother
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Source: detik.com Detik 2016 and viva.co.id news Dedy Priatmojo 2016
The woman are widows of a group in Bima, West Nusa Tenggara Straits Times 2016. Reports suggests the three women want to surrender which by the Singapore Straits Times seems not
confirmed.
Source: Jakarta Post Sangadji, The Jakarta Post 2016
However, whereas the trio is on the extremist path of the movement, we cover the evidence of a broader based radicalization of the public, which represents the future generation of potential
recruits to the Jihadist cause and the extremist narrative of Islamic State. 10.
REVOLUTIONARY AMBITIONS: GOING “GLOCAL”
Whereas, the western media warned about Indonesians returning from Syria, at the time of this report, no evidence is presented yet if the a
ttack cell was travelling to Syria. The “remote” command structure reassembles a more revolutionary model from past terror groups but shows
the long lines of communications with the help of darknet applications works in favor of the terror cells.
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Source: Geosmartasia.com Gopinath 2015
Nevertheless, the proof between the groups and alliances are well documented. Until the Sarinah attacks, the groups were localized and despite their ambitions, are geographically
limited to their “territories”, like Poso or the Southern Philippines. Their plan was to hold
territory and gradually build up an insurgency Andrew Zammit 2015, which they saw as the approach taken in the southern Philippines, southern Thailand and Chechnya International
Crisis Group 2010.
Following the attack in Jakarta, the Islamic State “Breaking News” announced the killing of 15 “Crusader disbelievers”. The News program-like layout aimed to give Islamic State
credibility while most notable is the use of near-perfect English. Nevertheless, the regional battle is a battle within Islam. Richard Bulliet wrote,
“Conquering the world or destroying Western civilization is certainly beyond the capability of a small army of radicals concentrated in a land-locked swath of
desert…..And that suggests to a broader objective, and the only rational one: To replace the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with a caliphate based in Mecca.” Bulliet 2015
Source: Twitter Monitor, Twitter 2016
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With the attack in Jakarta, followers of IS attacked seventeen 17 different states outside of Iraq and Syria, making it a truly transnational terror movement. Reports of Syrians entering
Thailand in October 2015 to attack Russian interests emerged in social media on 27 November 2015 Coletta 2015
117
. Four people were reported travelling to Pattaya, two to Phuket, two to Bangkok and two to an unknown destination Reuters, Tribune 2015. Both travel destinations,
Pattaya and Phuket, are favorites amongst Russian holidaymakers. In the Philippines, the killing of forty-four 44 Special Action Force police officers in
Mamasapano highlights the connection between Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters BIFF and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front MILF Liveleak 2015. Whereas, in order to maintain
peace with the MILF, the government signed a peace agreement in March 2014 calling the
incident a “misencounter”, the definitions overlook the fact that elements of both the BIFF and MILF killed a large number of security forces in support of jihadists protected by the MILF.
More recently, Mohammad Khattab, a Moroccan national killed in the Philippines, was identified as a bomb-making instructor trying to organize and unite local lawless armed groups
and KFRGs kidnap for ransom groups to link with international terrorist groups as well as spread radicalism and extremism. He was one of two foreigners killed by Philippine security
forces. The Malaysian, Mohammad Najib Hussein alias Abu Anas, killed in December 2015, shows the small but tangible influx of foreign fighters to Southeast Asia Pareño, Philstar
2016. Originally aimed to apprehend Zulkifli Abdhir alias Marwan, a Malaysian suspected of being
the leader of the Kumpulan Mujahidin Malaysia KMM and part of the central command of Jemmah Islamiyah, the action went horribly wrong. Marwan, initially wanted by the Malaysian
government for the killing of a Christian parliament member in 2000 KBKYA 2013
118
, was killed, but the raiding party was ambushed. Marwan was one of the leaders of the Khalifa
Islamiyah Mindanao Medina 2015
119
also known as the Black Flag Movement. The group is aligned with the Islamic State Takumi 2015.
Source: Inquirer.net Dizon 2015
117
Copy of the FSB letter warning Thai police can be found here; 4 December 2015
118
He co-founded the Khalifa Islamiyah Mindanao. The US FBI claimed the possible involvement of the Malaysian in the bomb making
119
Amir M, Amir Abtol Rahman, Amir Kuptu and Amir Human Abdul Najid
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Nevertheless, with effective counter terror actions, the networks fragmented and a shift in targeting patterns, in line with the overall jihadi strategy, replaced the big bombing attacks of
the Jemaah Islamiyah periods. Counter-terrorism efforts had suppressed the most violent networks, but pools of supporters remained and waited for opportunities provided by the
conflict in Syria
120
adopting a new, extreme narrative of Islamic State to rearrange society. With the detection of the transnational movement of terrorists, the campaign to create mini-
insurgencies like in Iraq is underway. The return of the urban guerrilla manual and MaoistMarxist narratives has been slowly
emerging in the IS narrative. After the coordinated attacks across Paris in November 2015, the militant intellectual published a blog in which he explained to his followers how it was easy to
move
jihad from “guerrilla warfare” in Indonesia’s equatorial jungles to a city Kapoor and Fabi 2016.
In the blog titled, ‘Lessons from the Paris Attacks’- i.e.
Pelajaran dari Serangan Paris
Ambarita 2016 -Naim urged his Indonesian audience to study the planning, targeting, timing, coordination, security, and courage of the Paris jihadists Kapoor and Fabi 2016, thereby
providing his audience an effective recruitment tool for the disenfranchised “jihadi wannabes Nomani 2010. According to Sidney Jones, he was writing for the terrorist wannabes in Java
Jones, The Lowy Institute for International Policy 2015. Whereas the Singaporean and Indonesian jihadists come across as amateurish, a U.S. Marine Corps study noted the
Information Warfare IW strategy of ISISIL as,
“…is literally a Marxist messaging orthodoxy we are familiar with...in fact, much of the IW strategy of ISIS is Maoist in orientation
.” Barie, 2015, p. 88 The Manila Times echoed a similar view. It wrote,
The Moro Islamic Liberation Front’s MILF strategy is the Maoist style of raising a conventional guerilla army that would demand from the central government the right
for Muslims in the Philippines to form their own independent state Tiglao, 2015.
The ambiguity of transnational terrorism, a subversive movementinsurgencyarmed insurrection is a manifestation of the erosion of the ideological base and justification for
violence in the name of Islam. Its methods are no longer purist of Jemaah Islamiyah but carry the hallmark of the Takfiris attempt to legitimize their existence. Echoing the inexperience,
Santoso alias Abu Wardah,
121
is tagged as an ambitious, if somewhat inexperienced, terrorist. Heading the East Indonesian Mujahidin MIT, the group has somewhat eluded capture. Since
September 2015, over 700 Riot Police Brimob and Indonesian army personnel were targeting 38 suspected terrorists of the Santoso group in Operations Camar Maleo IV. On 9 January
2016, the operation was halted with little success Litha 2016 and later restarted.
120
Ibid.
121
“a toso also alled hi self A u Mus a Al-Zarqawi Al Indunesi after the former al Qaeda leader has declared an all-out war on Detachment 88 in 2012; Strait Times, 1 December 2015; page A9
Page 54 of 126
Source: Anekainfounik.net Ambarita 2016
The group’s intent was to attack cities elsewhere, including Bandung Reuters 2016. At the same time, a second three-man cell was launched to target Kuala Lumpur. The attack against
the Splendid Hotel in Burkina Faso should be not viewed as a stand-alone attack by the al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb AQIM but is part of the globalization of the terror groups.
Whereas the actions against Indonesia and Malaysia were not successful, the African action was seen as a success Bonkoungou and Coulibaly 2016.
In September 2015, Malaysian police thwarted a bomb plot to target the vibrant tourist area in Bukit Bintang and included plans to raid army camps to seize weapons Reuters 2016.
A suspected militant who was arrested carrying weapons at the Jelatik Menon 2016 metro station in Kuala Lumpur on Friday, January 15, confessed to planning a suicide attack. The 28-
year-old Malaysian armed with a knife carrying some IS propaganda material planned to carry out the attack in the country after receiving orders from a foreign member of Islamic State in
Syria. The IS member was responsible for hanging IS flags in the states of Terengganu, Perak, Selangor and Johor warning the government to stop arresting IS members in Malaysia Jakarta
Globe 2016. Three 3 other suspects, aged between 23 and 28
122
, were arrested at the Kuala Lumpur airport after returning from Turkey attempting to return to Syria to join ISIL Reuters 2016. One of
the three was a woman. The three were recruited by a known Malaysian IS member named Muhammad Wanndy Mohamed Jedi who was linked to a beheading video Jakarta Globe
2016.
One of the trademarks of the IS is the creation of a “state-like” appearance. IS extracting taxes on crops, cattle, oil and trade
123
, taxes on income, smoking, or wearing un-Islamic clothes. Income is supplemented through smuggling, plundering banks, kidnapping and obtaining
donations from wealthy supporters, calling the tax the Islamic name “zakat”. Whereas in the Middle East, a considerable flow of funds is recorded, the exact number of funding entering
Indonesia remains sketchy.
IS’ structural creation of the Office of Resources responsible for revenue creation suggests the far-reaching financial structure of Islamic State to support its revolutionary ambitions beyond
Syria and Iraq.
122
Ibid.
123
ISIS wrings money from its subjects, Straits Times, 1 December 2015, pg. A10
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