Azahari's death won't eliminate terror threat, experts caution

Azahari's death won't eliminate terror threat, experts caution

Tiarma Siboro and Eva C. Komandjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The death of Azahari bin Husin, one of the most wanted
terrorists in Southeast Asia, has dealt a serious blow to the terror
network, but officials and experts cautioned that it would not
eliminate the terror threat in this country.

"Each time the security forces arrest a top leader of a terrorist
group, the network will be weakened. But that doesn't mean that
terror attacks will not occur again. Therefore, I would ask the
public to remain vigilant," Vice President Jusuf Kalla said on
Thursday.

Minister of Defense Juwono Sudarsono expressed a similar view,
calling on the public to remain alert and help the security
forces, whose task in hunting other terror suspects might
actually have become harder now with the death of one of the top
terrorist leaders.

"I guess the police and intelligence personnel will now have
to work even harder. Tracing terrorist cells when they're messed
up is even more difficult," Juwono said.

Azahari, a Malaysian citizen dubbed in his own country as "The
Demolition Man" for his handiwork in a number of bomb attacks in
Indonesia, was killed in a police raid on Wednesday in the East
Java town of Batu.

Azahari, who is believed to be a key member of Jemaah
Islamiyah (JI), a shadowy regional terror network linked to al-
Qaeda, and another Malaysian fugitive, Noordin M. Top, are
jointly accused of being behind a series of bomb attacks in
Indonesia, including the 2002 bomb blasts on Bali that killed
202 people, bomb blasts in Jakarta, and the triple suicide
bomb attacks on the island early last month, which killed 23
people, including the three bombers.

Ansja'ad Mbai, head of the antiterror desk at the Office of
the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security
Affairs, said that the death of Azahari would only serve to
momentarily distract the terrorists in Indonesia.

"For the actual terror network that has been actively
conducting attacks, this clearly will have a great impact ...,
but we all know that terrorism is a crime based on ideology and
politics, and will not stop just because of the death of a
certain figure," he was quoted by AFP as saying.

He said that the short-term impact of the death of Azahari
would be a significant lessening in terrorist activities, but he
warned that intelligence information showed that the networks
here had been actively recruiting new members and providing them
with "special training."

Religious leaders also expressed caution.

"I heard that Azahari and his companions were assembling bombs
and were planning to launch attacks on Christmas Eve ... I want
the public to remain alert because the terrorists usually select
special religious events to launch their attacks," said
Indonesian Communion of Churches (PGI) chairman Rev. Andreas
Yewangoe.

Meanwhile, National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Aryanto
Boedihardjo said that the police would continue to beef up
security around the country despite the confirmed death of Azahari.

"We're tightening security in critical areas of the country,
especially those places that require extra tight security, such
as public places and other important sites," Aryanto said during
a press conference.

Aryanto added that the police, working together with the
intelligence services, would make greater efforts to respond to
reports from the public indicating the possible whereabouts of
the other terrorists, including Top.

"We should not let our guard down even after Azahari's death
because he might have recruited his successors before his death,
and they might be well equipped to take over from him," he said.

Aryanto did not rule out the possibility that Top might launch
a revenge attack for the death of his partner.

Reports have previously said that regions outside Java, such
as Maluku and Central Sulawesi, are now the main breeding grounds
for new recruits. While Azahari is known for his bomb expertise,
Top is expert at recruiting people from poverty-stricken areas.