Hassan seeks U.S. permission to question Hambali
Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirayuda has sent a letter to his counterpart in the United States, Colin Powell, request access to terror suspect Hambali, currently being held in custody by the U.S.
Hassan said on Tuesday that the letter emphasized Indonesia's interest in questioning the Cianjur, West Java-born man for his alleged involvement in a series of terror attacks in the country over the past three years.
"The letter was sent today (on Tuesday), as we need to have access to Hambali as soon as possible," Hassan said on Tuesday.
He said the government had communicated with Washington since Thai security forcers arrested Hambali and transferred him to the U.S. authorities on Aug. 15.
"We want to ensure that our police will soon have a chance to question Hambali," Hassan said.
Indonesian President Megawati Soekarnoputri called U.S. President George W. Bush to reportedly request access, but there have been no public reports on Washington's response.
Jakarta is also said to be seeking the possibility of transferring Hambali back to Indonesia for trial.
A source told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday, that Washington has approved the request, but arrangements were still being made with the Indonesian police.
Australia, the Philippines, Malaysia and Singapore are other countries requesting access to Hambali, who is being detained at an undisclosed locale. He is allegedly the chief operations person of the al-Qaeda-linked Jamaah Islamiyah (JI) terror group.
Hambali, born Encep Nurjaman and also known as Riduan Isamuddin, is reportedly 39-years-old and grew up in Sukamanah village in Cianjur. He is accused of masterminding a series of bomb attacks in Jakarta, Manila and other areas of Southeast Asia in recent years.
Indonesian police have declared him the main suspect in at least three church bombings in 2000, the Oct. 12, 2002 Bali blasts and the Aug. 5, 2003 bomb attack at the Marriott Hotel.
Hassan also said that the government had yet to receive any confirmation on Hambali's citizenship as he was carrying fake Spanish passport in the name of Daniel when he was arrested.
"Citizenship has always become problematic with terrorist suspects, as they always change their passports," Hassan said.
He further said that due to the unclear citizenship, it would be impossible for the Indonesian government to exercise its obligation to ensure the civil rights of Hambali while in U.S. custody.
"He was also arrested for 'non-traditional criminal acts', so it will be difficult for us to provide legal assistance for him even if he is an Indonesian citizen," the minister said.
Hassan emphasized that the main objective was that Jakarta wanted to question Hambali.