Jamaah Islamiyah operating in Indonesia: Police

A'an Suryana, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Following a one-month inquiry into the deadly Bali bombing, the National Police announced it had strong evidence the outlawed Jamaah Islamiyah (JI) of Malaysia had expanded its operations into Indonesia.

Insp. Gen. I Made Mangku Pastika, who heads the Bali bombing inquiry, said the results of the investigation also found the Bali bombings were related to a string of explosions around the country over the past few years.

"Hambali, a top JI operative in Southeast Asia, is the real mastermind of Batam bomb blasts (on Christmas Eve 2000)," said the general during a press conference here on Friday.

The results of the police inquiry put to rest widespread doubt about whether JI, which has been linked to the al-Qaeda terrorist network led by Osama bin Laden, exists in Indonesia, he said.

The country's top security minister, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, earlier expressed doubt about the existence of JI in Indonesia. At the same time, Minister of Defense Matori Abdul Djalil was accusing JI of being responsible for the Bali tragedy.

On Thursday, lawyer Nasrun Kalianda, who represents Imam Samudra, the main suspect in the Bali bombing, quoted his client as saying that Hambali and seven other people were responsible for the Batam bomb blasts.

According to Nasrun, his client identified those responsible for the attack as Hambali, who was the main planner; Mahmud, who was an adviser; Furqon, the executor; Tarmizi, who made the bombs; Abdul Zabir, who smuggled in the detonator from the nearby Sekupang; Syahid Jabir, who raised the funds for the attack; and DR. Azhari, who provided spiritual guidance.

Samudra said he functioned as both planner and executor in the attack.

According to the lawyer, Samudra said Hambali, Azhari and himself held several meetings between October and December 2000 on Batam to make the necessary preparations to bomb several churches on the industrial island.

However, Samudra now says he masterminded the Batam bombings, which he claimed earlier had been masterminded by Hambali.

Pastika said the police had confirmed that Hambali was directly involved in the Batam bombings, acting as the mastermind. He also said Hambali's position in JI had been taken over by Mukhlas, the elder brother of Amrozi, another main suspect in the Bali bomb blasts.

The report that Mukhlas has replaced Hambali as the top JI operative in the region was obtained from various intelligence sources, according to Pastika.

"Hambali was just replaced because he was wanted by the police," the officer said.

Pastika, who led the probe into the murder of proindependence Papuan leader Dortheys Hiyo Eluway last year, said his team had found evidence linking the Batam bombings with bombings in Jakarta and the Bali bombing.

"For example, Samudra, the main planner in the Bali bombing, is closely connected with the Batam bombings," said Pastika.

Pastika also said Mukhlas, alias Ali Ghufron, visited Indonesia sometime prior to the Bali bombing last October.

Despite the progress so far made in the investigation, Pastika acknowledged the police were still in the dark about whether JI was directly involved in the Bali attack, which killed almost 200 people and wounded more than 320 others.

It also remains unclear whether Muslim cleric and alleged JI spiritual leader Abu Bakar Ba'asyir, who is in police custody, was involved in the Bali bombing.

"Imam always refuses to answer interrogators' questions about his superiors," said Pastika.

Pastika confirmed that Malaysian authorities had arrested four JI members for their alleged involvement in bomb blasts in Southeast Asia, including Indonesia. He said the police would cooperate with Malaysia to exchange information about the suspects.

Regarding the development of the Bali investigation, Pastika said Samudra would be taken from Jakarta to Bali to cross-check his story with that of Amrozi, who is in the custody of the Bali Police. He refused to say when the suspect would be transported to Bali.

Graham Ashton, an assistant commissioner from the Australian Federal Police who accompanied Pastika at the press conference, said Australian assistance was confined to the investigation into the Bali attack.