'Dispersed attacks' new terror worry

'Dispersed attacks' new terror worry

Yuli Tri Suwarni, The Jakarta Post, Bandung

As police widened the search for the followers of master
bombmaker Azahari, an antiterror official warned on Saturday that
Islamic militants could carry out widely dispersed attacks across
the country following Azahari's death. Ansyaad Mbai, the head of
the antiterrorism desk at the security ministry, said extremists
were likely to operate in small groups, each capable of launching
attacks.

"They are metamorphosing into small groups, and each is not
tied to a hierarchy," he said as quoted by AFP.

"Each group can autonomously interpret in what situation they
can mount an attack and who are the targets ... Their only bond
is their ideology and mind-set," he said in comments broadcast by
RCTI television.

Azahari was killed during a police raid launched on Wednesday
in Batu, a sleepy town some 800 kilometers east of Jakarta.

The raid also resulted in the death of an Azahari accomplice
called Arman, who was believed to have played a role in the
Jimbaran and Kuta attacks in Bali on Oct. 1, which left 23 people
dead.

Despite the successful raid, the police will now have to work
hard to capture Azahari's compatriot, Noordin Mohd Top, who
disappeared before a raid was due to be launched to capture him
in Semarang.

Azahari and Noordin were believed to be top figures in the
ranks of Jamaah Islamiyah, which aims at establishing a pan-
Islamic state in the Southeast Asia region. The two were earlier
accused of having masterminded the Bali bombings in 2002 that
killed over 200 people, mostly foreign tourists.

In a separate development, the police intensified their
operations on Saturday, including in Bandung regency where some
30 officers raided the home of Achmad Tamami, the father of Abu
Dujana, who is believed to be a member of the Azahari network.
The raid was unsuccessful as Abu was not in the house. Abu has
been accused of playing a role in the attack on the Australian
Embassy on Sept. 9 last year. "Abu has not been home since last
month and he never informs his family of his whereabouts," said
Cimahi Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Permadhi.

In Ponorogo, East Java, a platoon of police officers found
several homemade bombs and four rifles in Baosan Lor subdistrict.
The police say the bombs and weapons belonged to a member of the
Azahari network.

First Insp. Dwi Warsito said on Saturday that the police had
discovered the bombs and weapons after questioning Nurkosim, a
member of the Azahari network incarcerated in Madiun prison.
Nurkosim has been in jail since 2000.

Police in other parts of the country are also on the lookout
for Azahari's men. Bengkulu Police beefed up security on the
province's borders and at vital installations. Meanwhile, East
Kotawaringin Police in Central Kalimantan arrested some 50
passengers arriving on a ship in Sampit Port from Surabaya, East
Java province. East Java is home to a number of Bali bombing
terrorists, including Imam Samudra, who was also involved with
Azahari. The 50 people were apprehended after they failed to
produce identity cards.

The heightened security comes in response to reports that
Azahari's men are planning to launch attacks in several places
across the nation between Nov. 29 and Dec. 25. The information
was contained in a document belonging to Azahari, according to a
police source.