'Terror allegations not matched with evidence'<\/p>\n
Yogita Tahilramani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Despite the Malaysian Police sharing extensive information
\nwith their Indonesian counterparts on the alleged involvement of
\nthree Indonesian Muslim clerics in a regional terror network, the
\nIndonesian Police claim they cannot act on the information
\nwithout solid evidence.<\/p>\n
National Police inspector-general Comr. Gen. Ahwil Luthan said
\non Thursday he spent nearly a month visiting Kuala Lumpur, Sabah,
\nPenang and Kuching to investigate claims made by Malaysia that
\nthree Indonesian clerics were involved in terrorist groups.<\/p>\n
\"I got lots of information, but most of it was not based on
\nreal evidence... it was mostly based on testimonies given by the
\nmen currently detained in Malaysia (for allegedly having ties
\nwith a terrorist involved in the Sept. 11 attacks),\" Ahwil told
\nThe Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
The three clerics are identified as Indonesian Mujahidin
\nCouncil chief Abu Bakar Ba'asyir, alias Abdus Samad, independent
\npreacher Hambali, alias Nurjaman Riduan Isamuddin, and another
\nindependent preacher Indonesian-born Mohamad Iqbal A.Rahman, who
\nhas been in detention under the Internal Security Act (ISA) since
\nlast June.<\/p>\n
While Indonesian Police have grilled Ba'asyir over his alleged
\ninvolvement with the al-Qaeda terrorist network, Hambali is still
\na fugitive and one of the Indonesian Police's most wanted
\ncriminals, for his alleged involvement in the 2000 Christmas
\nbombings.<\/p>\n
Based on witness testimonies, 13 men who had been arrested by
\nMalaysian authorities under the ISA claimed that Ba'asyir,
\nHambali and Iqbal had been the three \"directing figures\" who had
\nreportedly organized secret meetings to set up the Daulah
\nIslamiah (Islamic government).<\/p>\n
The Daulah Islamiah would have reportedly covered Malaysia,
\nIndonesia and southern Philippines, where the majority of the
\npopulation are Muslim.<\/p>\n
The 13 men, who are members of the Kumpulan Militan Malaysia
\n(KMM), were also arrested for their alleged link with Zacarias
\nMoussaoui, the Frenchman who is the only person currently being
\ntried for his alleged role in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in
\nthe United States.<\/p>\n
\"If we receive new evidence, we will not hesitate to summon
\nAbu Bakar Ba'asyir again for questioning,\" Ahwil said.<\/p>\n
He returned from Malaysia on Wednesday. On the same day,
\nNational Police's top detective, Insp. Gen. Engkesman Hillep and
\nhis team left for Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines, to
\ninvestigate the alleged terrorist links.<\/p>\n
\"I went there mainly to open the doors for Insp. Gen.
\nEngkesman and his team... so that they would be able to interview
\nthe 13 men detained in Malaysia,\" Ahwil said.<\/p>\n
He added that the Malaysian authorities insisted there were
\nextremist groups that had links with the terrorist al-Qaeda
\nnetwork operating in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
\"Intelligence information both in Indonesia and Malaysia state
\nthat a militant training camp linked to al-Qaeda had training
\nsessions in Palu, Sulawesi... where Parlindungan Siregar
\nreportedly was one of the trainees,\" Ahwil said.<\/p>\n
\"Police went to the site but only found remains of a destroyed
\nbuilding. Not a single shred of evidence has been left there, so
\nthe police cannot act because they are without sufficient
\nevidence.\"<\/p>\n
He added that unlike Malaysia, which could arrest anybody
\nsuspected of having terrorist links under the ISA without
\nevidence, for a period of two years, Indonesia still had to
\ndepend on real evidence.<\/p>\n
\"Without solid proof, we cannot make any arrests.\"<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/terror-allegations-not-matched-with-evidence-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }