Interpol intensifies search for Hambali
Yogita Tahilramani and Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The National Central Bureau of ICPO-Interpol is intensifying its search for Islamic preacher Nurjaman Riduan Isamuddin alias Hambali, who is wanted by Malaysian Police for his reported links to international terrorist groups.
Hambali is also the prime suspect in the 2000 Christmas Eve bomb attacks in some areas of Sumatra and Java.
The search for Hambali has been intensified, reportedly following testimony given by militant suspects detained in Malaysia to visiting Indonesian police detectives recently.
"Based on the evidence we have, our understanding for now is that Hambali is alleged to have links with international terrorist groups," National Police chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar said on Thursday.
The Malaysian Police had earlier arrested 13 members of a new wing of Muslim militant group, Kumpulan Militan Malaysia (KMM), and were investigating the group's possible links with Zacarias Moussaoui, the Frenchman who is the sole person being tried for his alleged role in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the United States.
Inspector-General of Malaysian Police Tan Sri Norian Mai had earlier said the 13 men were arrested in follow-up operations conducted after the arrests of 25 other members of KMM, including its leader Nik Mohd Adli Nik Aziz, a son of the Kelantan state premier.
"We are still investigating whether there was a link between Zacarias and any of the personalities we have arrested," Norian said.
The new wing was different from the KMM group headed by Nik Mohd Adli, though it was led by the same three "directing figures".
The three "directing figures" were identified as Indonesian Mujahiddin Council chief Abu Bakar Ba'asyir alias Abdus Samad, independent preacher Hambali alias Nurjaman Riduan Isamuddin, who also hails from Indonesia, and another independent preacher Indonesian-born Mohamad Iqbal A.Rahman, who has been in detention under the Internal Security Act (ISA) since last June.
The 13 men were arrested because they were believed to be carrying out activities considered a threat to national security, including holding secret meetings for the setting up of a daulah Islamiah (Islamic government).
"There are plans to form a daulah Islamiah covering this country, Indonesia and the southern Philippines, the majority of whose people are Muslims, according to their own perception," Norian said.
National Police chief of detectives Insp. Gen. Engkesman Hillep earlier said that Indonesian Police had been searching for Hambali for the past year. Hambali was believed to have financed and supplied the explosives for the Christmas terror bombings on Indonesian churches, which left 19 people dead.
Married to a Malaysian woman, Hambali is an Indonesian raised in Cianjur, West Java, who has residence rights in Malaysia.
"Singapore insists he is in Indonesia. We have tried to find him everywhere and combed every place we believe he might be hiding in Indonesia. The fact is, if a trained person really does not want to be found ... it is difficult to find him," Engkesman said.
According to Engkesman, the National Central Bureau of ICPO- Interpol had requested the Saudi Arabian Police in February, 2001, to track down Hambali, who was then strongly suspected to have been in Saudi Arabia performing a haj pilgrimage.
Hambali, along with another man identified as Imam Samudra, is being sought in Indonesia after police found documents implicating him in a series of bomb attacks on Indonesian churches on Christmas Eve 2000. The documents said Hambali and Samudra financed and supplied the explosives for the attacks. Hambali was last seen in East Jakarta in October 2001.
Indonesia has lately come under intense pressure from its neighbors to take tough action against alleged terrorist leaders.
Police have questioned Indonesian Mujahidin Council chief Abu Bakar Ba'asyir over his alleged links to terrorist groups. Ba'asyir has denied all allegations.
Singapore Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew last week made unsubstantiated statements on terrorists roaming free in Indonesia. His statements evoked fierce criticism from the Indonesian government, which labeled Lee as being tactless for making the statements without informing Indonesia beforehand of any information Lee might have had on the presence of terrorists in Indonesia.
Indonesian Muslim Intellectuals' Association (ICMI) chairman Adi Sasono suggested on Thursday that Indonesia bring up the issue of Lee's statements during a diplomatic session of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
"We believe diplomatic efforts and stricter action are needed to prevent an escalation of this problem. The mechanism in ASEAN must be upheld," Adi told The Jakarta Post on the sidelines of a meeting he had with legislators here.
The former minister said that Indonesia may have expressed its stance on terrorism, but it still refrained from showing it firmly and clearly when foreign countries, like Singapore, launched accusations about terrorism against Indonesia.
"The Indonesian government takes no action when accusations are made by Singapore," Adi said.