Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) was founded in 1993 in Malaysia by Abu Bakar Ba’asyir and Abdullah Sungkar.[2] However, some sources claim that the group was created around the late 1970s or early 1980s, but during that time the group was not involved in violent attacks.[3] JI is a militant Islamic organization with the goal of creating an Islamic state ruled under sharia law in Southeast Asia.[4] JI’s ideology is derived from Darul Islam, a radical movement that aimed to establish Islamic law in Indonesia.[5] The group has cells that operate in Australia, Pakistan, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Brunei and Thailand.[6] , [7] Some of the most important figures of the group include Abu Bakar Ba’asyir, who is believed to be the group’s spiritual and operational leader, and Nurjaman Riduan Ismuddin (aka Hambali), and Mohamad Iqbal Abdurrahman (aka Abu Jibril).[8]

The group has attacked wide variety of targets, including Western embassies, tourist destinations and churches.[9] Some of their major attacks included a series of bombings in Manila (2000), bombings in two nightclubs in Bali (2002), a car bombing in the Marriott hotel in Jakarta (2003), and a bombing outside the Australian embassy in Jakarta (2004).[10] Some sources indicate that the group may have been significantly weakened by counterterrorism efforts in the region in the mid-2000s, although analysts caution that JI operatives still pose a threat.[11] The group started to splinter in 2003 as the group’s leadership seemed to be moving towards a greater focus on religious outreach in an attempt to build public support for their cause. [12] One such splinter group led by Noordin Mat Top bombed two hotels in Jakarta in 2009.[13] View full narrative