'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.