Thailand's Terror

PALANI MOHAN FOR TIME

A New Life: Ex-extremist Yousif Longpi making scarves

The call came early last year. The would-be terrorist — a tall, powerfully-built Malaysian in his late 30s — was summoned to southern Thailand to meet with a group of fellow jihadis. Among them were members of Southeast Asian terrorist organization Jemaah Islamiah (JI). They gathered at a Thai madrasah, he claims, where "we were preached to about armed conflict and discussed how to undertake suicide bombings." They were given newspaper cuttings showing "atrocities committed against Muslims worldwide, and this really riled me up. I wanted to seek revenge for every Muslim killed."

The education he received in...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!