Malaysia , despite sitting betwixt a number of ethnic and religious insurgencies plaguing its Southeast Asian neighbors, has managed, thus far, to remain a low priority target for globally-minded Islamic jihadi extremists. Its two most prominent terrorists, Noordin Mohammad Top and the recently killed Dr. Azahari Husin, actually took up with the cross-border Indonesia ?based group, Jemaah Islamiya (JI) . Admittedly, Malaysia was the reluctant host to a handful of spectacular ransom kidnappings from its outlying resort Islands from 2000-03 (Terrorist Incident and Terrorist Incident) by Philippine terrorists from the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) . Nonetheless, Kuala Lumpur has never suffered a significant international bombing nor has it experienced significant violent political unrest for the last 35 years, despite a far more religiously heterogeneous society than Indonesia, the Philippines, or even neighboring Thailand . Thus, when reports surfaced on December 30, 2005 that the US Embassy in Kuala Lumpur had announced its closure for an “unspecified security threat” (Advisory), speculation quickly mounted.
As early as June 2005, the Australian Foreign Ministry issued warnings against travel to Malaysian coastal resorts?especially the eastern coast of the island of Sabah?due to a perceived threat regarding terrorist kidnappings. Although such a plot has echoes of ASG activities at the beginning of the decade, Philippine counterterrorism efforts have led to the capture, arrest, and imprisonment of many of the ASG kidnappers and have driven remaining elements deep into the jungles of the Philippine island of Mindanao (away from the coastal regions) as well as to urban areas. These changes in the ASG modus operandi also appear to be a rededication to its regional, if not global, jihadi ambitions, rather than the money-making extortion and ransom schemes the earlier kidnapping attacks seem to have been. Thus, although no press reports have surfaced to indicate that the threats from June 2005 have receded, upon first glance they are not likely related to the US Embassy threat over the past two weeks. Additionally, it was quickly clear that the closure was due to a “surveillance incident” directly related to the Embassy building and “not to American interests in Malaysia in general.” US Embassy spokeswoman Kathyrn Taylor took great pains to further highlight, “At this time the Embassy has no information of specific, credible threats against private American interests in Malaysia.”
An interesting distinction has cropped up in the press regarding coverage of other terrorist threats emanating from Malaysia. Many foreign embassies have, indeed, been targeted over the past 18 months. The US mission in Kuala Lumpur received a letter containing a suspicious powdery substance in August 2004, forcing the closure of some of its offices (Terrorist Incident forthcoming). A month later, in September 2004 the US Embassy was closed for similar package?both of which turned out to be harmless (Terrorist Incident forthcoming). Most recently, in October 2005, the US Embassy was one of at least 11 diplomatic missions (including Australia, Canada , France , Germany , Japan , Russia , Philippines, Singapore , Thailand , and the United Kingdom ) to receive suspicious packages. Most contained a yellow, oily liquid, although in one case a powder was found, but all were determined to be harmless . Sent from the strongly Islamic northeastern states of Kelantan and Terengganu, each envelope contained a note described as saying “You have been infected with a biological and chemical weapon. May Allah curse you for what you have done to the Muslim ummah [community].” The interesting distinction, thus, is that international media coverage generally describes these events as “hoaxes” and thus not actual terrorist incidents. Nonetheless, it seems sufficient “terror” had been achieved to disrupt significantly normal diplomatic and business operations, both of which were either cancelled or significantly reduced.
By early in the New Year 2006, Kuala Lumpur police chief Mustafa Abdullah told reporters that closed-circuit video monitors around the US Embassy had recorded suspicious activity outside the building on December 29, and the Americans had filed a report with local authorities. The video images noted that a group of four to five Muslim-looking African men, including one with a camera, appeared to be loitering for an extended period outside the US Embassy. As a result, the Embassy staff requested that local police both increase their local presence and conduct an investigation into the incident. By January 5, 2006, the US Embassy opened again for normal business. However, due to the scheduled holiday breaks, the mission only lost 2.5 business days. Thus, it seems quite likely that Malaysia overall remains among the safer Muslim countries to visit and conduct business, and Western interests should be confident that normal safety precautions and vigilance required in any foreign country will be sufficient for travel throughout the country.
