Konsojaya Trading Company
Encyclopedia
The Konsojaya Trading Company was a shell company
cofounded by Jemaah Islamiyah
leader Riduan Isamuddin
, better known as "Hambali", and his Malaysian Chinese
wife, Noralwizah Lee Abdullah on June 1994. The company was based in Kuala Lumpur
, Malaysia.
An Afghan
named Wali Khan Amin Shah
was one of the board of directors of the company. He also owned half (3,000) of the company's 6,000 shares. Another member of the board of directors was Afghan Mehdat Abdul Salam Shabana
, who owned the other half of the company's shares. Another member was 30-year old Hemeid H. Algamdi, a citizen of Jeddah
, Saudi Arabia
. Yemen
i Amein Mohamed was the managing director of Konsojaya. A company profile that was circulated to suppliers and customers stated that he was the former marketing director of a Pakistan
-based supplying agent for a company in Jeddah.
Konsojaya stated in its incorporation papers that it was an "import/export" company that shipped palm oil
to Afghanistan
from Malaysia. The organization also dealt with the export of Sudan
ese honey
. Its "principal objective" was to import and export products found in the Asia
/Pacific region (East Asia
, Southeast Asia
, and Oceania
) to Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia
, Bahrain
, and Sudan
.
A man named Khalid Shaikh Mohammed
, who was staying in Manila
, Philippines
, often travelled to several places, including Brazil
, to promote Konsojaya.
Konsojaya actually funneled money and material assistance to several regional militant Islamic plots. The organization also funneled money to an account owned by Omar Abu Omar, an employee of the International Relations and Information Centre, an organization run by Mohammed Jamal Khalifa
, who is married to one of Osama bin Laden
's sisters. The money would then be siphoned into an account under the name of "Adam Salih", an alias of Ramzi Yousef
, who was at the time planning Manila
-based Operation Bojinka, an attack that would have destroyed eleven airliners.
Manila police discovered Operation Bojinka after an apartment fire led police to a suspect on January 6 and the morning of January 7, 1995.
According to corporate records in Kuala Lumpur
, Konsojaya no longer exists.
Shell (corporation)
A shell corporation is a company which serves as a vehicle for business transactions without itself having any significant assets or operations. Shell corporations are not in themselves illegal and have legitimate business purposes. However, they are a main component of the underground economy,...
cofounded by Jemaah Islamiyah
Jemaah Islamiyah
Jemaah Islamiah , is a Southeast Asian militant Islamic organization dedicated to the establishment of a Daulah Islamiyah in Southeast Asia incorporating Indonesia, Malaysia, the southern Philippines, Singapore and Brunei...
leader Riduan Isamuddin
Riduan Isamuddin
Riduan Isamuddin also transliterated as Riduan Isamudin, Riduan Isomuddin, and Riduan Isomudin, better known by the nom de guerre Hambali, born as Encep Nurjaman, born April 4, 1964 is the former military leader of the Indonesian terrorist organization Jemaah Islamiyah , which is linked with Al...
, better known as "Hambali", and his Malaysian Chinese
Malaysian Chinese
Malaysian Chinese is a Malaysian of Chinese origin. Most are descendants of Chinese who arrived between the fifteenth and the mid-twentieth centuries. Within Malaysia, they are usually simply referred to as "Chinese" in all languages. The term Chinese Malaysian is also sometimes used to refer to...
wife, Noralwizah Lee Abdullah on June 1994. The company was based in Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...
, Malaysia.
An Afghan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
named Wali Khan Amin Shah
Wali Khan Amin Shah
Wali Khan Amin Shah was a man who had a role in the foiled Bojinka plot. He was convicted of terrorism, and has been imprisoned on these charges since 1995....
was one of the board of directors of the company. He also owned half (3,000) of the company's 6,000 shares. Another member of the board of directors was Afghan Mehdat Abdul Salam Shabana
Mehdat Abdul Salam Shabana
Mehdat Abdul Salam Shabana was a member of the board of directors, during the mid 1990s, of the now defunct Konsojaya Trading Company, a terrorist front organization based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He owned half of the company's 6,000 shares. Konsojaya was a shell company cofounded by Riduan...
, who owned the other half of the company's shares. Another member was 30-year old Hemeid H. Algamdi, a citizen of Jeddah
Jeddah
Jeddah, Jiddah, Jidda, or Jedda is a city located on the coast of the Red Sea and is the major urban center of western Saudi Arabia. It is the largest city in Makkah Province, the largest sea port on the Red Sea, and the second largest city in Saudi Arabia after the capital city, Riyadh. The...
, Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
. Yemen
Yemen
The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
i Amein Mohamed was the managing director of Konsojaya. A company profile that was circulated to suppliers and customers stated that he was the former marketing director of a Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
-based supplying agent for a company in Jeddah.
Konsojaya stated in its incorporation papers that it was an "import/export" company that shipped palm oil
Palm oil
Palm oil, coconut oil and palm kernel oil are edible plant oils derived from the fruits of palm trees. Palm oil is extracted from the pulp of the fruit of the oil palm Elaeis guineensis; palm kernel oil is derived from the kernel of the oil palm and coconut oil is derived from the kernel of the...
to Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
from Malaysia. The organization also dealt with the export of Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
ese honey
Honey
Honey is a sweet food made by bees using nectar from flowers. The variety produced by honey bees is the one most commonly referred to and is the type of honey collected by beekeepers and consumed by humans...
. Its "principal objective" was to import and export products found in the Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
/Pacific region (East Asia
East Asia
East Asia or Eastern Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either geographical or cultural terms...
, Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
, and Oceania
Oceania
Oceania is a region centered on the islands of the tropical Pacific Ocean. Conceptions of what constitutes Oceania range from the coral atolls and volcanic islands of the South Pacific to the entire insular region between Asia and the Americas, including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago...
) to Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
, Bahrain
Bahrain
' , officially the Kingdom of Bahrain , is a small island state near the western shores of the Persian Gulf. It is ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family. The population in 2010 stood at 1,214,705, including 235,108 non-nationals. Formerly an emirate, Bahrain was declared a kingdom in 2002.Bahrain is...
, and Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
.
A man named Khalid Shaikh Mohammed
Khalid Shaikh Mohammed
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is a Kuwait-born militant in U.S. custody in Guantánamo Bay for alleged acts of terrorism, including mass murder of civilians....
, who was staying in Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
, Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, often travelled to several places, including Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, to promote Konsojaya.
Konsojaya actually funneled money and material assistance to several regional militant Islamic plots. The organization also funneled money to an account owned by Omar Abu Omar, an employee of the International Relations and Information Centre, an organization run by Mohammed Jamal Khalifa
Mohammed Jamal Khalifa
Mohammed Jamal Khalifa was a Saudi Arabian businessman from Jeddah who married one of Osama bin Laden's sisters.-Overview:The first glimpse U.S...
, who is married to one of Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden was the founder of the militant Islamist organization Al-Qaeda, the jihadist organization responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States and numerous other mass-casualty attacks against civilian and military targets...
's sisters. The money would then be siphoned into an account under the name of "Adam Salih", an alias of Ramzi Yousef
Ramzi Yousef
Ramzi Yousef was one of the main perpetrators of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and a co-conspirator in the Bojinka plot. In 1995, he was arrested at a guest house in Islamabad, by the Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence and United States Diplomatic Security Service, then extradited to the...
, who was at the time planning Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
-based Operation Bojinka, an attack that would have destroyed eleven airliners.
Manila police discovered Operation Bojinka after an apartment fire led police to a suspect on January 6 and the morning of January 7, 1995.
According to corporate records in Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...
, Konsojaya no longer exists.
External links
- Philippines: Police say Khalid Shaikh Mohammed led a cell aiming to blow up planes in '95 L.A. Times article exploring Operation Bojinka.