Hambali and Ba'asyir

Hambali and Ba'asyir

From Media Indonesia

It was interesting to watch Metro TV's evening program on Oct.
28, which featured a story on Omar Al-Farouq, a mysterious figure
whose identity remains unclear. A man introduced as somebody who
was "close" to Hambali, a figure as mysterious as Al-Farouq, was
also interviewed.

This man claims that Hambali had been arrested by the
Pandeglang Police early in June 2002 and his whereabouts were not
known. The National Police have referred to Hambali's involvement
in various acts of violence, or bombings to be more specific, in
Indonesia lately. He is reportedly close to Ba'asyir, and to have
acted according to instructions from Ba'asyir.

If it is true that the Pandeglang Police have Hambali in
custody, why have government officials over the previous weeks
told the mass media that Hambali was being hunted down by police
as if he is still at large?

This case is becoming more peculiar. Before the Sept. 11
tragedy, nobody had linked Ba'asyir to Hambali. Now, particularly
after the Oct. 12 blasts in Bali, Hambali is all at once closely
connected to Ba'asyir.

SYAIFUDIN BIDAKARA, Cibinong, West Java