U.S. designates Marwan Ibrahim al-Azawi as global terrorist

CAIRO – 13 June 2017: The U.S. designated Marwan Ibrahim Hussayn Tah al-Azawi and Majelis Mujahidin Indonesia (MMI) as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs), which imposes sanctions on foreign persons determined to have committed acts of terrorism, according to a statement from the U.S. State Department released on Monday.

The decision involves imposing sanctions on foreign persons determined to have committed, or pose a significant risk of committing, acts of terrorism that threaten the security of U.S. nationals or the national security, foreign policy, or economy of the United States.

“As a consequence of these designations, U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions or dealings with Azawi and MMI, and all of their property and interests in property subject to United States jurisdiction are frozen,” the statements reads.

The Treasury Department also designated Attallah Salman ‘Abd Kafi al-Jaburi, an Iraq-based senior leader of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

Al-Jaburi is the person in charge of factories producing improvised explosive devices and vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices, and is involved in the development of chemical weapons, according to the statement.

Azawi is an Iraqi ISIS leader connected to ISIS’s development of chemical weapons, which are used in their war against Iraqi security forces. ISIS has repeatedly used mustard gas in chemical attacks in Syria as well as in Iraq.

MMI is a terrorist organization based in Indonesia. It was formed in 2000 by Abu Bakar Bashir, leader of the designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and SDGT group, Jemaah Islamiya (JI).

The group is behind several high-profile attacks in Indonesia, including the 2002 Bali bombing which killed 202 people. The group is also believed to be behind the 2012 attack on Canadian author Irshad Manji during a book tour, which left three people injured.

MMI also has links to al-Qaida’s affiliate in Syria, the FTO and SDGT-designated group, al-Nusrah Front.