Autopsy completed, Al-Ghozi buried

Autopsy completed, Al-Ghozi buried

The Jakarta Post, Madiun/Bali/Jakarta

After a one-day delay for an autopsy, the body of terrorist
Fathur Rohman al-Ghozi was buried on Friday in his hometown of
Madiun.

The autopsy revealed that al-Ghozi had been shot three times
from afar, forensic doctor Munim Idris said.

Munim, who conducted the autopsy early Friday, said al-Ghozi
had been shot twice in the chest and once in the left hand, and
"The characteristics of the wounds come from long-range shots,"
as reported by The Associated Press.

However, Munim added that there was also a possibility that he
was shot at close range, saying he might have worn protective
gear to cushion the shots.

Munim, who led the autopsy at Moewardi Hospital in Surakarta,
said he did not believe al-Ghozi was fleeing when he was shot, as
the bullets entered the front of his body.

The autopsy was held at the request of al-Ghozi's family, who
suspected that he was deliberately murdered by the Philippine
authorities.

After the autopsy, Rusman, the spokesman of the al-Ghozi
family, demanded that the Philippine government describe the
chronology of the shooting, to shed light on the truth of the
incident.

The shoot-out put an end to the hunt for al-Ghozi, who escaped
a Philippine prison after he was sentenced to 17 years for
illegal possession of explosives.

Police had said earlier the autopsy performed on al-Ghozi did
not count and could not be considered as evidence, as it did not
involve police investigators.

Responding to allegations that al-Ghozi was murdered, foreign
ministry spokesman Marty Natalegawa said the government was
paying attention to all complaints from the family.

Marty said one of the main concerns voiced by the family's
lawyers was a rumor that no traces of gunpowder was found on the
body.

"However, according to the paraffin test result, traces of
gunpowder were found on al-Ghozi's left hand. We are not
defending the Philippine government; this is the fact we have,"
he said.

The government, however, would forward the family's demands to
Manila.

Meanwhile, hundreds of mourners attended al-Ghozi's burial in
Mojorejo village, Madiun, some three hours' drive from the East
Java capital, Surabaya.

The mourners included al-Ghozi's wife, Rukanah, and other
relatives, neighbors and Muslim activists.

The attendance of Muslim activists highlighted the funeral, as
they shouted, "Allahu Akbar (Allah is great)!" while escorting
al-Ghozi's body to the cemetery.

Separately, Coordinating Minister for Political and Security
Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono urged people to maintain a
balanced perspective on the death of al-Ghozi, and warned them
against becoming carried away by their emotions and end up
justifying terrorism.

"We need to remember that (grief and mourning) should not
(make us) condone what they, the people who were involved in
terrorist acts, have done. Let's separate (mourning from
terrorism)," he said on the sidelines of his visit to Denpasar,
Bali.