Further probe into Indonesian terror suspects ordered<\/p>\n
Agencies, Manila\/Jakarta<\/p>\n
A Philippine court on Wednesday ordered government prosecutors to
\nconduct further investigations into a suspected terrorism case
\ninvolving three Indonesians arrested at a Manila airport last
\nMarch.<\/p>\n
Tamsil Linrung, Agus Dwikarna and Abdul Jamal Balfas were
\nscheduled to be arraigned in open court on Wednesday on charges
\nof illegal possession of explosives which carries a maximum
\npenalty of up to 14 years' imprisonment.<\/p>\n
Regional trial court Judge Henrick Gingoyon granted a request
\nby the suspects on Wednesday allowing them to submit affidavits
\nto prove their innocence, court clerk Joy Rillera said.<\/p>\n
\"The court directed the city prosecutor's office to conduct a
\npreliminary investigation and come up with a report within 60
\ndays before we can proceed with the case,\" Rillera told AFP.<\/p>\n
The three argued that they were not given the chance to file
\ntheir counter-affidavits when they were apprehended on March 13
\nafter police said they found bomb making materials in their
\nluggage, Rillera said.<\/p>\n
Intelligence officials in Manila said that the three had met
\nwith associates of another Indonesian suspect, Fathur Rohman al-
\nGhozi, who was arrested in January, and has since admitted to
\nplotting a string of deadly bomb attacks in Manila in 2000.<\/p>\n
Al-Ghozi is an explosives expert with the Jemaah Islamiyah
\nIslamic movement, which officials say is the Southeast Asian wing
\nof the Saudi militant Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network.<\/p>\n
One of the suspects, a businessman named Linrung, said earlier
\nthat he saw police plant bomb-making materials and claims that he
\nwas framed in order to discredit Indonesian presidential hopeful
\nAmien Rais.<\/p>\n
Linrung was formerly treasurer of Amien's National Mandate
\nParty (PAN). Amien on Tuesday accused Philippine police of
\nengineering the arrest of the three.<\/p>\n
In response, Philippine police spokesman senior superintendent
\nLeonardo Espina said: \"If there are any questions that need to be
\naddressed by the Philippine authorities, protocol requires that
\nthey be channeled through the Indonesian embassy.\"<\/p>\n
Espina described claims that the charges against the trio were
\nfabricated as the \"normal accusations of defendants.\"<\/p>\n
Justice department undersecretary Manuel Teehankee said the
\nsuspects would be charged only if there was sufficient evidence
\nagainst them.<\/p>\n
\"The safeguard in the process is the fact that the charges
\nagainst the Indonesians are subject to preliminary investigations
\nwith the benefit of counsel.\"<\/p>\n
In Jakarta, Vice President Hamzah Haz dismissed on Wednesday
\nspeculation that the government had ordered Philippine
\nauthorities to arrest the three Indonesians.<\/p>\n
\"I think there was no engineering in the arrest. Let's wait
\nfor the trial process,\" Hamzah said.<\/p>\n
Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs
\nSusilo Bambang Yudhoyono concurred with Hamzah, saying that he
\nwould wait for further evidence of such speculations.<\/p>\n
\"I assure that at the government level there was no
\nengineering or order of arrest in Manila. It is unethical,\"
\nSusilo said after delivering a keynote speech at a seminar on
\nregional autonomy here on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Hamzah and Susilo were commenting on a remark made by former
\nintelligence chief Z.A. Maulani on Tuesday that the arrest of
\nTamsil, Agus, and Abdul Jamal was upon the request of Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Maulani said his remark was based on a report from security
\nofficials in the Philippines.<\/p>\n
\"If there is evidence (of engineering), we will be open (to
\ndiscussion). I don't want to make polemics, but I say that there
\nis no engineering,\" Susilo asserted.<\/p>\n
Hamzah said sharing ideas and information between intelligence
\nagencies was a common practice, but fell short of saying that the
\narrest of the three Indonesians was based on intelligence reports
\nsupplied by Indonesia's intelligence agency.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/further-probe-into-indonesian-terror-suspects-ordered-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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