Explosives charges on Al-Ghozi dropped<\/p>\n
Oliver Teves, Associated Press, Manila<\/p>\n
Philippine Department of Justice prosecutors have dismissed
\ncharges of illegal possession of explosives against an Indonesian
\nman linked to the al-Qaida terror network because police failed
\nto present the evidence, according to documents obtained Tuesday.<\/p>\n
However, they said they will pursue a relatively minor charge
\nof illegally obtaining a Philippine passport against Fathur
\nRohman Al-Ghozi, whose arrest in Manila last month led
\nauthorities to a ton of explosives buried behind a house he had
\nbuilt in southern General Santos City. Police also seized 17 M-16
\nassault rifles.<\/p>\n
\"The law enforcement authorities merely presented photographs
\nof the alleged explosive components and failed to present the
\nphysical evidence,\" a three-page resolution dismissing the
\nexplosives charges said.<\/p>\n
The prosecutors said, however, they found that Al-Ghozi
\nviolated Philippine law by getting a passport by falsely claiming
\nto be a Filipino.<\/p>\n
National Police spokesman Chief Superintendent Cresencio
\nMaralit said police would \"most likely\" ask prosecutors to
\nreconsider their decision, saying it would have been too risky to
\nbring the explosives to the Justice Department.<\/p>\n
\"They are very unstable substances. It would have been very
\ndangerous to present them physically,\" Maralit said, adding that
\npolice usually present pictures and sworn statements by officers
\ninvolved in the seizure of explosives as evidence.<\/p>\n
Earlier this month, Al-Ghozi said in affidavits presented by
\npolice to prosecutors that he obtained funds to finance bombings
\nthat killed 22 people in Manila a year ago from the alleged
\nleader of a Muslim extremist group in Malaysia.<\/p>\n
Al-Ghozi, 31, also said he joined the Jemaah Islamiyah, a cell
\nwith suspected links to the al-Qaida terror network, while he was
\na student in Lahore, Pakistan, in 1990-95.<\/p>\n
He said he was an \"errand boy, messenger or liaison officer\"
\nfor the group, the affidavits said, and later was told to go to
\nMalaysia to meet the local leader of the group, Fais Bin Abu
\nBakar Bafana.<\/p>\n
Fais allegedly told him to visit the Philippines to \"study the
\nplace and get contacts.\"<\/p>\n
Al-Ghozi said one of his \"contacts,\" identified only as
\nMuklis, brought him to Camp Abubakar, headquarters of the
\nseparatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front, where he spent a month
\nin 1996 studying the Filipino language and weapons training.<\/p>\n
Al-Ghozi said Muklis told him about a \"program that is part of
\njihad\" but asked his help to raise funds. He passed on the
\nrequest to Fais, who agreed to send money that eventually was
\nused to buy about 70 kilograms (154 pounds) of explosives.<\/p>\n
He said he learned that the explosives were used in a series
\nof bombings in Manila on Dec. 30, 2000, when he received a text
\nmessage on his cellphone from Muklis after the attacks: \"This is
\nthe program we were talking about.\"<\/p>\n
Al-Ghozi also said the explosives that were unearthed were
\nbought on Fais' orders \"to be used in our struggle against the
\nSingaporean government.\"<\/p>\n
Thirteen militants linked to a bomb plot who were in Singapore
\nhave identified Al-Ghozi as one of the group's ringleaders.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/explosives-charges-on-al-ghozi-dropped-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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