Marriott bombing suspects well-versed in JI doctrine

Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Police revealed on Tuesday that all arrested suspects in the Aug. 5 bombing at the JW Marriott Hotel were well-versed in the doctrine of terrorist organization Jamaah Islamiyah (JI) as indicated by their knowledge of Al-Jamaah Al-Islamiyyah's (the Arabic name for Jamaah Islamiyah) guiding principles.

"All the Marriott bombing suspects are familiar with most of the content of the guidelines ... They've admitted that they follow the guidelines as their doctrine," said National Police deputy spokesman Sr. Comr. Zainuri Lubis.

Zainuri, however, stopped short of saying whether the suspects also admitted that they belonged to Jamaah Islamiyah which has been blamed for a string of bombing attacks across the country since 2000.

The suspects now in police detention are Toni Togar, Sardono Siliwangi, Idris alias Ikhsan, Datuk Rajo Ameh, Muhammad Rais, Malikul, Mukhlis alias Solihin alias Muchliansyah, Heru Setianto, and Suprapto.

In addition to these nine, police also named Asmar Latin Sani, whose severed head was found at the blast site, as a suspect in the blast that killed at least 12 people, including Asmar, and injured 147 others,

The guidelines, a copy of which was made available to The Jakarta Post, titled Pedoman Umum Perjuangan Al-Jama'ah Al- Islamiyyah (General Guidelines of the Struggle of Jamaah Islamiyah), was issued by Majlis Qiyadah Markaziyah Al-Jamaah Al- Islamiyyah to provide guidelines for members in their struggle "to preserve the virtue of the group in accordance with Islamic principles".

The group refers to Majlis Qiyadah Markaziyah Al-Jamaah Al- Islamiyyah, or the Assembly's Armed Forces Headquarters of Al- Jamaah Al-Islamiyyah.

On top of that, the assembly asserts it will use all measures and capabilities to restore sharia (Islamic law) and establish an Islamic state (khilafah) across the globe, the document says.

The assembly is chaired by an Amir (chief) who will be assisted by several majlis (councils or assemblies) at state and regional levels.

The document also contains an organizational chart of the group.

The document stipulates technical guidelines for recruiting new members and providing training, including in the use of weapons and in combat.

The document mentions the concept of Jihad Musallah, which is also defined as Qital or "to combat in the way of Allah against the enemies of Allah and his Prophet including infidel rulers."

Zainuri said that the book was among the evidence presented during the trial of cleric Abu Bakar Ba'asyir.

The Central Jakarta District Court convicted Ba'asyir to four years imprisonment on Sept. 2 for his involvement in a plot to topple the government. The judges said, however, that there was insufficient evidence to prove that the cleric chaired JI.

The United Nations has listed JI as a terrorist organization. Police believe that JI was behind the Bali bombings which killed 202 people, mostly foreign tourists.

Police alleged that JI was also behind the Marriott bombing.

Zainuri said police were tracking down five suspects who were still at large.

They are Dulmatin alias Joko Pitono, Dr. Azahari, Noordin Moh Top, and two unidentified suspects who purchased the car used in the bombing.

Dulmatin, Azahari, and Noordin are also wanted by police for their involvement in the Bali bombings. They are known for their expertise in rigging explosives. Azahari and Noordin are Malaysian citizens.