Police to question Malaysian terror suspect<\/p>\n
Eva C. Komandjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The National Police are considering seeking from Bali bombing
\nsuspect Wan Min Wan Mat -- who was released by Malaysian
\nauthorities on Monday after being detained since September 2002
\n-- more information on terror attacks in the country over the
\npast few years.<\/p>\n
Spokesman for the National Police Insp. Gen. Aryanto
\nBoedihardjo said the police had not yet arranged a meeting with
\ntheir Malaysian counterparts to ask them for access to Wan Min.<\/p>\n
\"Since our investigation of bombing incidents here is not yet
\ncomplete, we might try to seek information from him (Wan Min) and
\nfind out how knowledgeable he is on the terror network in the
\ncountry,\" Aryanto said.<\/p>\n
Wan Min had testified in a written statement read out by
\nprosecutors in the trial of one of the Bali bombing suspects that
\nhe had sent around US$30,500 to a member of Jamaah Islamiyah (JI)
\nto finance \"operations\" in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
JI, which is linked to al-Qaeda, is believed to have
\nmasterminded numerous bomb attacks here, including in Bali in
\n2002, the Jakarta JW Marriott Hotel in 2003 and the Australian
\nEmbassy in Jakarta last September.<\/p>\n
AFP reported that after his release, Wan Min, who was a
\nlecturer at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, said he had repented
\nand renounced violence.<\/p>\n
Wan Min, who was held under the Internal Security Act (ISA),
\nwhich allows for indefinite detention without trial, will be
\nrestricted to Kota Baru, Malaysia's northern Kelantan state's
\ncapital, and must report daily to police.<\/p>\n
However, there has been no official explanation as to why he
\nwas released and not prosecuted instead. According to a source in
\nthe Malaysian government, Wan Min is no longer considered a
\nthreat to national security.<\/p>\n
It remains uncertain as to whether Indonesian Police will use
\nall information from Wan Min to build a new case against alleged
\nJI spiritual leader Abu Bakar Ba'asyir, or to locate the
\ncountry's most-wanted fugitives, Malaysian duo Azahari bin Husin
\nand Noordin Moh. Top.<\/p>\n
Terrorism expert Rohan Gunaratna of the Singapore's Institute
\nof Defense and Strategic Studies, said that Wan Min was well
\nestablished as an important member and leader of the JI and that
\nit was very important that he should be prosecuted for his
\nactivities.<\/p>\n
Similarly, head of terrorism studies at the Australian
\nNational University Clive Williams, said news of Wan Min's
\nrelease would be received with concern, particularly because 88
\nAustralians were among those killed in the Bali nightclub blasts.<\/p>\n
Currently, around 80 alleged Muslim militants remain in
\ndetention in Malaysia, many of whom are suspected to be members
\nof the JI, but so far none have been brought to trial.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/police-to-question-malaysian-terror-suspect-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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