Hassan seeks U.S. permission to question Hambali<\/p>\n
Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirayuda has sent a
\nletter to his counterpart in the United States, Colin Powell,
\nrequest access to terror suspect Hambali, currently being held in
\ncustody by the U.S.<\/p>\n
Hassan said on Tuesday that the letter emphasized Indonesia's
\ninterest in questioning the Cianjur, West Java-born man for his
\nalleged involvement in a series of terror attacks in the country
\nover the past three years.<\/p>\n
"The letter was sent today (on Tuesday), as we need to have
\naccess to Hambali as soon as possible," Hassan said on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
He said the government had communicated with Washington since
\nThai security forcers arrested Hambali and transferred him to the
\nU.S. authorities on Aug. 15.<\/p>\n
"We want to ensure that our police will soon have a chance to
\nquestion Hambali," Hassan said.<\/p>\n
Indonesian President Megawati Soekarnoputri called U.S.
\nPresident George W. Bush to reportedly request access, but there
\nhave been no public reports on Washington's response.<\/p>\n
Jakarta is also said to be seeking the possibility of
\ntransferring Hambali back to Indonesia for trial.<\/p>\n
A source told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday, that Washington has
\napproved the request, but arrangements were still being made with
\nthe Indonesian police.<\/p>\n
Australia, the Philippines, Malaysia and Singapore are other
\ncountries requesting access to Hambali, who is being detained at
\nan undisclosed locale. He is allegedly the chief operations
\nperson of the al-Qaeda-linked Jamaah Islamiyah (JI) terror group.<\/p>\n
Hambali, born Encep Nurjaman and also known as Riduan
\nIsamuddin, is reportedly 39-years-old and grew up in Sukamanah
\nvillage in Cianjur. He is accused of masterminding a series of
\nbomb attacks in Jakarta, Manila and other areas of Southeast Asia
\nin recent years.<\/p>\n
Indonesian police have declared him the main suspect in at
\nleast three church bombings in 2000, the Oct. 12, 2002 Bali
\nblasts and the Aug. 5, 2003 bomb attack at the Marriott Hotel.<\/p>\n
Hassan also said that the government had yet to receive any
\nconfirmation on Hambali's citizenship as he was carrying fake
\nSpanish passport in the name of Daniel when he was arrested.<\/p>\n
"Citizenship has always become problematic with terrorist
\nsuspects, as they always change their passports," Hassan said.<\/p>\n
He further said that due to the unclear citizenship, it would
\nbe impossible for the Indonesian government to exercise its
\nobligation to ensure the civil rights of Hambali while in U.S.
\ncustody.<\/p>\n
"He was also arrested for 'non-traditional criminal acts', so
\nit will be difficult for us to provide legal assistance for him
\neven if he is an Indonesian citizen," the minister said.<\/p>\n
Hassan emphasized that the main objective was that Jakarta
\nwanted to question Hambali.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/hassan-seeks-us-permission-to-question-hambali-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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