JI members nabbed, one commits suicide

JI members nabbed, one commits suicide

Damar Harsanto and Suherdjoko, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta/Semarang

The campaign against terrorism enjoyed a big victory on Friday,
when police announced they had arrested nine suspected members
of Jamaah Islamiah (JI), the regional terrorist organization
blamed for last year's Bali bombings.

In Semarang, Central Java, police recovered over 1,000 bomb
detonators, 30 bags of potassium chlorate weighing 30 kilograms
each, four boxes of TNT, 65 PETN detonators (a high-explosive
substance), 11 shoulder-launched rockets, more than 20,000 rounds
of ammunition, two M-16s, timers, batteries, maps and documents.

National Police chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar said in Semarang two
of the suspected terrorists were thought to be senior members of
JI.

"We have arrested a total of nine suspects between July 4 and
July 11 in several cities, including Jakarta, Megeland and
Jakarta," Da'i said.

Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Makbul Padmanagara said two of
the suspects had admitted to being senior officials of JI, which
is blamed for the Bali bombings that killed more than 200 people
last October.

Makbul said one of the suspects, identified as Ikhwanuddin,
alias Asim, 28, committed suicide during questioning at a police
post in East Jakarta.

According to the police, the handcuffed Ikhwanuddin grabbed
the disassembled parts of one of the seized M-16s, ran into a
bathroom and shot himself in the chest.

"For me, it was negligence, as we had hoped to keep him
alive .... Trust me, he killed himself. Several witnesses,
including police officers and other suspects, were there. It's my
fault and I am taking responsibility," Makbul said.

The officer did not say whether Ikhwanuddin had his hands
cuffed in front of him or behind his back. But five military
sources familiar with the M-16 told The Jakarta Post they would
require about 10 minutes to assemble the weapon.

"If the weapon is only partly disassembled, it can be
assembled in seconds or a minute at the longest. It's not a
problem with handcuffs because a professional can assemble it
with his eyes closed," said one of the sources.

Makbul claimed that Ikhwanuddin was the key suspect who knew
the details of a planned series of bombings in the capital. He
was identified as the courier who transported bomb-making
materials from Semarang to Jakarta.

"They were planning to launch a string of bomb attacks on
malls and places of worship, and to assassinate several noted
figures," he said.

Police also seized leaflets with the schedules for Sunday
services at the Tiberias Indonesia Church and the Indonesian
Bethel Church. They also seized several books, including one
that listed the names of the members of the People's
Consultative Assembly.

Police apprehended Ikhwanuddin on Friday at 1 a.m. in a house
on Jl. Kebagusan III in South Jakarta. They seized an M-16 and
more than 1,500 rounds of ammunition.

On Tuesday afternoon police arrested two other suspects in
Kaliabang, Bekasi. They were identified as Pranata Yuda, alias
Mustafa, alias Abu Tholut, alias Yono, alias Imron, and Suyono,
alias Yono, alias Abu Farauk, alias Syukur.

Pranata reportedly admitted during interrogation that he was a
former head of JI's Mantiqi (regional commander) and is currently
the head of the working committee at the JI headquarters in
Jakarta. Police say he admitted to fighting in Afghanistan,
providing military training in Moro, southern Philippines, and
being involved in the conflict in Poso, Central Sulawesi.

Suyono reportedly told police he was the leader of the
wakalah, a JI regional area, overseeing Lampung in the southern
part of Sumatra island.

Last month, police arrested Idris, a key suspect in the Bali
bombings.

There also have been rumors that police have captured the top
operational representative of the JI network, Hambali, alias
Riduan Isamudin, and Dr. Azahari, a Malaysian electronics expert
who is believed to have rigged the massive bombs used in Bali.
However, police have played down the rumors.

"There has been no arrest of Hambali," National Police
spokesman Brig. Gen. Edward Aritonang said.