Page 54 - Encyclopedia Of Terrorism

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Ali, Ahmed Mohamed Hamed (1965– )———27

would come to be known as the Alex Boncayao Ghosh, Nirmal. “Capture of Head Honcho a Crushing
Brigade (ABB) after a labor leader turned guerrilla Blow to Manila Reds.” Singapore Straits Times July 14,
who was killed by security forces in 1983. 1997, 20.
The ABB operated independently of its parent Kessler, Richard J. Rebellion and Repression in the
Philippines. New Haven, CT:Yale University Press, 1989.
organization, launching its first attack in May 1984. It
soon acquired a reputation for vicious efficiency. The
ABB’s hit men were nicknamed “sparrow squads” for
their swiftness and skill at fluttering out of the hands ALF. See ANIMAL LIBERATION FRONT.
of police. Throughout the 1980s, they killed dozens of
people a year. The ABB did not limit its targets to
Filipinos; the group is believed to have murdered Col.
James Row and several other U.S. nationals. ALI, AHMED MOHAMED
In the early 1990s, the ABB’s fortunes declined. HAMED (1965– )
The end of the cold war had thrown the NPA into dis-
aka Shuaib, Abu Islam al-Surir, Ahmed Ahmed,
array, and factionalism and power struggles dimin-
Ahmed the Egyptian, Ahmed Hemed, Hamed Ali,
ished its abilities as a fighting force. In 1994, the Ahmed Shieb, Abu Islam, Ahmed Mohammed Ali,
ABB’s commanding officer, Felimon Lagman, was Ahmed Hamed, Ahmed Mohammed Abdurehman,
arrested, and the organization was left without leader- Abu Khadiijah, Abu Fatima, Ahmad al-Masri
ship. Unexpectedly, however, the ABB reemerged in
December 1995 in a series of attacks on local business Ahmed Mohamed Hamed Ali, an Egyptian, has been
executives. The NPA disavowed any connection with described as a top lieutenant in Osama bin Laden’s
these attacks, and in March 1997 the ABB announced Al Qaeda network. In 1998, Ali was indicted in the
that it was now allied with the Revolutionary United States for his involvement in the conspiracy to
Proletariat Army (RPA). bomb U.S. embassies in East Africa; however, he is not
Despite the arrest of ABB leader Nilo de la Cruz accused of playing a direct role in the attacks. He is on
later that year, the new alliance began an offensive the FBI’s list of the 22 “most wanted terrorists.”
directed mostly at industrialists and business execu- Al Qaeda, an Arabic word meaning “The Base,” is
tives, particularly those in the oil industry. It also an international network of terrorist groups that com-
added bombings to its tactics. During the late 1990s, mit violent acts against the United States, including
however, police arrested several key leaders. In the September 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade
December 2000, the remnant of the RPA-ABB signed Center in New York City and the Pentagon near
a peace pact with the government of then-president Washington, D.C.
Joseph Estrada. This pact included provisions for dis- According to the FBI, Ali may have formal training
armament and the release of RPA-ABB prisoners, but in agriculture. He fled from Kenya, where he lived, to
in April 2001, the new president of the Philippines, Pakistan on August 2, 1998, just five days before the
Gloria Arroyo, ordered the terms of the pact reviewed. August 7 embassy bombings. On that date, the U.S.
At the time of this writing, the ABB has not indicated embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam,
if it will peacefully lay down arms or remain a threat.
Tanzania, were destroyed in synchronized truck bomb
See also ABU SAYYAF GROUP; NEW PEOPLE’S ARMY attacks. Two hundred and twenty-four people were
killed.
Further Reading Shortly thereafter, the U.S. government declared
that bin Laden and Al Qaeda operatives were respon-
“Bosses the Target, Says Filipino Death Squad.” Singapore sible. The 1998 U.S. indictment charges that Ali par-
Business Times, December 14, 1995, 5.
Branigin, William. “Manila Captures Head of Communist ticipated in other anti-U.S. activities in Africa prior to
Rebels; Underground Chief Ran Urban Hit Squad.” conspiring to bomb the two U.S. embassies. In 1993,
Washington Post, May 27, 1994, A30. he allegedly provided military training and assistance
Dikkenberg, John. “Ambushes Mark Return of Communist to Somali tribes, preparing them to violently oppose
Hit Squad.” South China Morning Post December 15, the U.N. and U.S. peacekeeping intervention during
1995, 18. Somalia’s civil unrest. In 1998, he told Al Qaeda