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If Abubakar was the founding father and spiritual leader, Hambali was his chief executive officer. A 36-year-old veteran of the Afghan struggle against the Soviet Union, Hambali was the practical man who made the plans and gave the orders. Officials say he was responsible for organizing paramilitary training stints for Jemaah Islamiah members in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

These sources also say he was the mastermind behind a series of bombing missions around the region. In one example, Hambali sent a known associate, Malaysian Taufik Abdul Halim to Jakarta, where he was arrested on Aug. 1, 2001, after a bomb he was carrying exploded and blew off one of his legs. Last fall in Malaysia itself, Hambali instructed Yazid Sufaat, a former Malaysian army captain now under detention in Kuala Lumpur, to place an order for four tons of ammonium nitrate, a fertilizer that can be used as a bombmaking ingredient. The current whereabouts of the chemical remains a mystery.

The role of bombmaker was a surprising one for Yazid, who officials say was a minor figure in the Selangor branch of the KMM, a "runner" as one puts it. But Yazid flourished in the Jemaah Islamiah, rising to become Hambali's most trusted lieutenant. Hambali ordered Yazid to host the two hijackers who died in the Pentagon attack at his condo in Kuala Lumpur. Yazid has told his interrogators that he had no knowledge of the Sept. 11 attacks but, one official says, he suspected the men who stayed at his apartment had some role in the attacks because "they had asked if there were flying schools in Malaysia. Yazid recommended one in [BRACKET {Melaka}] but they said it would not be suitable for them."

Yazid has admitted to giving suspected hijacker Moussaoui a cover letter from a Malaysian company introducing him as its U.S. marketing consultant. The letter, U.S. sources say, contained a guarantee that Moussaoui would be paid $35,000 for his services. Malaysian officials deny reports, however, that Yazid confessed to actually giving money to Moussaoui during his visits to Malaysia. "Yazid has told us no money changed hands," one official says.

Despite the growing list of allegations against Abubakar and Hambali, Indonesian officials have been circumspect in dealing with Abubakar, who recently moved back to Indonesia after 15 years. (Hambali, who is wanted by police in Indonesia and Malaysia, has disappeared). Recently questioned by police, Abubakar was released after two days and continues to teach at his religious school in the town of Solo. In an interview with Time, the soft-spoken 63-year-old vigorously denies any connection with a terrorist network. "I am not advocating the overthrow of any government," Abubakar says. "What I want to see is a government committed to Islam." He blames Mahathir, the U.S. and a worldwide Jewish conspiracy for his problems (see interview). "This is just a political game," he says of the charges. "Jemaah Islamiah is an invention by Mahathir to instill fear [BRACKET {into}] the Muslim community."

But the Jemaah Islamiah's reach extends far beyond just Malaysia. In December, Singaporean police arrested 13 alleged members of the Jemaah Islamiah and uncovered detailed plans to bomb U.S. targets in the city-state. In addition to the scheme involving the missing tons of ammonium nitrate that were destined for Singapore, police there have unearthed another Jemaah Islamiah plot to order a further nine tons of the chemical. (For comparison, the devastating Oklahoma City bombing required only one ton of ammonium nitrate.)

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