The greatest regional terrorist threat to Asia surely continues to be Jemaah Islamiya (JI) . Despite regional warnings, the group successfully attacked the Australian Embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia , in September 2004 and was apparently thwarted in an anti-Western attack in December 2004 in Indonesia. The focus of the strategic threat is on two top JI operatives: British-educated Malaysian engineer Azahari Husin, the group?s chief bomb-maker, and his countryman Noordin Top, a logistical and recruiting wiz. Observers note that although Husin is linked to all three significant JI bombings, including the 2004 Australian embassy attack, the Marriott Hotel bombing in August 2003 , and the Bali resort attack in October 2002 , Top joined him only after the Bali attack at which time Husin plotted with Dulmatin, a known electronics expert.

Although smaller scale, less-sophisticated attacks attributed to JI occur in both Indonesia and The Philippines , it appears the JI leadership prefers to make its anti-Western statements against Western interests (often anti-Australian interests) within its homeland–Indonesia. Despite the year-long legal battles of the imprisoned spiritual leader Islamic cleric Abu Bakar Ba’asyir (aka Bashir), Husin and Top continue to conduct attacks in Jakarta against Western interests–most often Australian. This continuing modus operandi, despite Al-Qaida calls for attacks against Americans and other Westerners in Iraq and elsewhere in the Middle East and recent threats to target the western oil and energy infrastructure including ships and refining installations (Intel Report), reveals that although the two groups likely remain allied, they are now operating independently. With the arrest of dual operational manager Hambali in August 2003 (see March 1, 2004 WAR Report), the coordinated alliance appears to have been severed. In the meantime, as long as Husin, Top, and perhaps even Dulmatin, remain at large, Indonesia will likely remain the location of more anti-Western attacks throughout 2005.