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.