Documents detail terrorist activities in the country
Documents detail terrorist activities in the country
The Jakarta Post, Denpasar
Police have sized dozens of documents detailing terrorist
activities in the country during a recent raid of a house rented
by suspected terrorist Ali Ghufron alias Muklas in Surakarta,
Central Java.
Some of the documents -- dubbed the Solo Documents -- describe
an extensive organization with a clear chain of command among
members, including the delegation of tasks in the field when the
organization plans a terrorist attack, said Brig. Gen. Edward
Aritonang, spokesman of the Bali-based team investigating the
Bali Oct. 12 bombing.
"They use their own terminology such as controller, field
commander, provider of chemical substances, and several
subordinates who carry out their own tasks in the field called
operators," Aritonang told the press here on Wednesday.
According to Aritonang, the person who acts as controller
serves as the leader and policy maker for a certain terrorist
strike.
Based on the documents, Aritonang continued, Ali Gufron alias
Mukhlas acted as the controller in the Bali bombing, which killed
at least 190 people and injured over 300 others, mostly
foreigners.
Mukhlas, who was arrested in Klaten, Central Java early this
month, is also said to be operations chief of the Jamaah
Islamiyah regional terrorist network.
"Subordinate to the controller is the commander, that is,
Abdul Azis alias Imam Samudra, while under the commander is the
provider of chemical substances as an additional member. It is
believed that Amrozi held this position," Aritonang said.
Recently, East Java Police seized one ton of chemicals
believed to have been bought by Amrozi from chemical shop Tidar
Kimia, owned by Silvester Tendean, in Surabaya, East Java.
Police, assisted by foreign investigators, have arrested more
than two dozen people in connection with two nightclub blasts on
the resort island of Bali.
Aritonang further said that other terrorist suspects Dulmatin
alias Amar Usman and Ali Imron, both still at large, were
believed to be operators in the Bali bombing. They are believed
to have placed the bombs at the site.
"Do not underestimate their capability. These books are proof
of their competence and the bombs they had built are very similar
to those described in those books.
"We consider them well-trained and prepared individuals,"
Aritonang was quoted by AFP as saying.
"Based on those documents, we believe that they (Bali
suspects) are part of a wider terrorist network that exists in
Indonesia," Aritonang said.
The documents included handbooks on how to make car bombs and
poisons.
Aritonang said police also seized books on Jamaah Islamiyah
including its "military academy" book.