Int'l terrorist still on the run<\/p>\n
Eva C. Komandjaja, The Jakarta Post\/Jakarta<\/p>\n
The National Police denied on Friday a report that it had
\narrested Parlindungan Siregar, a suspected al-Qaeda member
\nallegedly involved in a train station bombing incident in Madrid,
\nSpain, last year.<\/p>\n
National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Aryanto Boedihardjo
\nacknowledged that early this month the police and the State
\nIntelligence Agency (BIN) had detained an Islamic teacher in
\nSouth Sulawesi, but after days of questioning in Jakarta, they
\nrealized he was not Parlindungan.<\/p>\n
He said that the arrest was made following a tip off from
\nSpanish Interpol that the terrorist was hiding in the region.<\/p>\n
\"We sent a letter back to the Spanish Interpol saying that we
\ngot the wrong man, but we are still looking for him now,\" Aryanto
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
The Asian Wall Street Journal reported on Friday that
\nParlindungan, a 38-year oil Indonesian engineer, was detained
\nabout two weeks ago, citing unnamed intelligence officials.<\/p>\n
Aryanto said the wrongly arrested Imam Mutarum was apprehended
\nin Cindaku village, Maros, South Sulawesi. He was then brought
\nto Jakarta for further questioning by the Detachment 88 Anti-
\nterror squad at the National Police.<\/p>\n
\"We questioned him about his activities and we also questioned
\nseveral witnesses as well and we came to the conclusion that this
\nman was not Parlindungan Siregar that we were looking for,\"
\nAryanto said.<\/p>\n
He explained that Imam, who was locally known as Kraeng
\nNabung, was an Islamic studies teacher who hailed from a small
\nvillage in Gedangan, Sidoarjo, before he moved to Sulawesi to
\nteach the recitation of the Koran.<\/p>\n
Finding out that they had caught the wrong man, the police
\nimmediately sent the man back to his family five days later.<\/p>\n
Spanish investigators reportedly alleged that Parlindungan,
\noperating through a Madrid al-Qaeda cell, played a key role in
\nrecruiting extremists in Europe and arranging for them to have
\nmilitary training at a camp on Sulawesi island.<\/p>\n
He left Indonesia in 1989 to study in Madrid, is believed to
\nbe one of the few Southeast Asians directly recruited into al-
\nQaeda. He also reportedly had extensive ties to Islamic groups in
\nEurope and the Middle East, AFP reported.<\/p>\n
Elsewhere, Aryanto said the police were still trying to hunt
\ndown Parlindungan as the Spanish police insisted that the
\nterrorist was still hiding in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
\"We're still trying to find him now,\" Aryanto said.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/intl-terrorist-still-on-the-run-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }