Surakarta Police on alert
\nfor anti-U.S. terrorist plans<\/p>\n
Yogita Tahilramani
\nThe Jakarta Post
\nJakarta<\/p>\n
The National Police alerted on Monday the Surakarta police
\nheadquarters in Central Java to investigate claims that
\nterrorists were planning to launch a wave of attacks on U.S.
\nembassies and businesses in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia.<\/p>\n
\"We have alerted the Surakarta police... also Batam and
\nSurabaya in East Java to check on available data of the men
\nallegedly involved in the (terrorist) plans as stated in a news
\nreport on Monday,\" National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Saleh
\nSaaf told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
Citing a 15-page document allegedly found by Indonesian
\nintelligence officials in Jakarta, Singapore's The Straits Times
\nnewspaper reported on Monday that three terrorist hit squads were
\nplanning to blow up U.S. embassies in Singapore, Malaysia and
\nIndonesia with bombs made from C-4 military explosives.<\/p>\n
The names of the men, who are allegedly involved directly in
\nthe planning, have been identified as Abbas Yahya, Zaenal
\nMuttaqien, Muhammad Furqon, Abdul Talib, Zulfikar, Zulkarnaen
\nSubairi, Fajri Al Farizi, Mohammad Yunus and Mohammad Ikram. They
\nare still at large in Indonesia and presumed to be Indonesians.<\/p>\n
The National Police believe that the names are mere aliases.<\/p>\n
The report, which was reportedly written in Indonesian and
\nArabic and was signed by members of the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI),
\nand also mentioned Fathur Rohman al Ghozy as a player. Fathur is
\nan Indonesian who was arrested in the Philippines on Jan. 15 on
\nterrorism charges.<\/p>\n
The Strait Times report however did not clarify whether the
\nIndonesian intelligence officials, who reportedly found the
\ndocument, belonged to either the Indonesian Military Intelligence
\nor the State Intelligence Body.<\/p>\n
Singaporean officials thwarted the attacks, reportedly planned
\nfor Dec. 4 last year, and arrested dozens of suspects in Malaysia
\nand Singapore, the report said.<\/p>\n
\"We are investigating these claims. The Indonesian Police do
\nnot know about a document stating such plans... give us time. I
\nhave alerted the National Police Intelligence over the matter.
\nThey are looking into it,\" Saleh said.<\/p>\n
In an interview with The Jakarta Post, an Indonesian police
\nofficer had earlier claimed that some members of JI had
\nreportedly been found to be currently based in Sragen, some 20
\nkilometers outside of Surakarta in Central Java, but police
\nimmediately retracted their statement the next day.<\/p>\n
The 15-page document read that the JI members had reportedly
\ndeclared \"a holy war,\" according to the news report.<\/p>\n
\"It is time for us to engage in a holy war to eradicate the
\nJewish 'satans' in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia.\"<\/p>\n
The document claimed Islam was being threatened by \"political
\nand military aggression\" following the Sept. 11 terrorist
\nattacks. The JI attacks were planned at a secret meeting held on
\nSept. 28. -- more than a week before U.S.-led airstrikes on
\nAfghanistan started, the report said.<\/p>\n
\"By hunting Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda, they justify the
\nmurder of children and women in Afghanistan,\" the document said.<\/p>\n
Separately, Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda said on Monday
\nthat Indonesia was determined to fight terrorism and was ready to
\ntake action against any citizen linked to it.<\/p>\n
\"If there are indications and other evidence, there's no doubt
\nthat the government will take action,\" Wirayuda told reporters
\nafter a cabinet meeting, as quoted by AFP.<\/p>\n
He said the arrest overseas of Indonesians accused of links to
\ninternational terrorism would not damage the country's image,
\narguing that citizens of other countries including Britain and
\nthe United States were also implicated.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/surakarta-police-on-alert-1447899208",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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