Muhammadiyah activist held for allegedly harboring terror suspect
Muhammadiyah activist held for allegedly harboring terror suspect
ID Nugroho, The Jakarta Post, Malang
Police have detained Muhammadiyah activist Joni Achmad Fauzani on
charges of harboring a terrorist suspect, making him the first
person associated with Muhammadiyah to be held for terrorism
charges.
Joni was arrested on Wednesday shortly after returning home
from Muhammadiyah's national congress in Malang, East Java, said
Joni's wife, Suminten, on Sunday. Muhammadiyah is the country's
second largest Muslim organization.
According to Suminten, four plainclothes police officers
dropped by their house in Pacet district, Mojokerto regency, East
Java, on Wednesday afternoon. The officers, from the National
Police's antiterror unit, reportedly questioned Joni about
reports that he had harbored a terror suspect for eight days last
month.
Suminten said she did not know the identity of the man who
stayed near their house, but later learned from police that it
was believed the guest was alleged terrorist Azahari bin Husin.
"I had no idea who the person was because my husband never told
me his name," she said.
The man stayed at a nearby orphanage of which Joni is an
executive.
Najib Hamid, the secretary of Muhammadiyah's East Java
chapter, said the organization was looking into the case. The
organization contacted the police and learned that Joni is being
held at East Java Police headquarters.
"We will check whether he is being held there and whether he
is being treated properly," said Najib.
Najib demanded the police be more open about the case. He said
the police should reveal whether the person Joni is accused of
harboring is Azahari, a Malaysian suspected of involvement in the
Bali bombings that killed 202 people, mostly foreign tourists.
If the police cannot prove that the guest was Azahari, the
police must release Joni and clear his name, said Najib.
The arrest came two weeks after the National Police anti-
terror squad arrested 17 people in Central Java and Jakarta for
alleged involvement in terrorist activities. Four of the men have
since been released due to a lack of evidence.
Hundreds of people have been arrested on terrorism charges
over the last two years, when the police stepped up efforts to
combat terrorism.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who came to power last
October, set the capture of Azahari and his Malaysian partner
Noordin Moh. Top, the top priority job for the police in his
first 100 days in office.