Police, family identify man killed with Azahari
The Jakarta Post, Ngawi/Surakarta/Jakarta
Having a terrorist suspect as a child would be beyond any parent's nightmare. It would be like having Hannibal Lecter as a son.
Kadi, 55, is still in a state of shock after finding out that his son, Agus Puryanto, 24, was killed along with Malaysian master bombmaker Azahari bin Husin in a police raid in Batu, Malang, East Java.
National Police chief Gen. Sutanto confirmed on Monday that the man, who had earlier been identified as Budi Darmawan or Arman and was killed during a shootout with police in the Nov. 9 raid on Azahari's hideout in Batu, was Agus Puryanto, a resident of Ngawi, some 220 kilometers southwest of Surabaya, the capital of East Java.
The body was positively identified after comparing Agus' DNA with that of his parents, Kadi and Suratmi, 50.
Kadi, a modest farmer, was in deep shock and refused to talk much. He said his family was not 100 percent sure that the body belonged to Agus, despite the photo on the driver's license found by police in the house in Batu.
"Agus looked fatter in that photo. He wasn't like that in person," said Kadi, adding that Agus lost his driver's license several months ago.
He asked the police to let him and his family members see the body.
"Despite its condition, we want to see the body, even if it is only his head left. We just want to make sure," Kadi said in Javanese.
The second of Kadi's children, Agus was known as a good- natured person who was interested in electronics.
His family in Ngawi lives in a small wooden house with a dirt floor, in a small village where visitors have to pass 20 kilometers of rocky road alongside paddy fields.
After finishing junior high school, Agus moved to live with his uncle, Afandi Mustofa, in Sukoharjo, Surakarta, Central Java, where he finished senior high school. He later graduated from the Kartasura State Islamic Institute (STAIN) in the same city.
Friends and relatives saw nothing unusual in his behavior or activities, let alone the potential to be a bomber's assistant.
"He was friendly, helpful and could get along with anyone. Nobody here believes that he was involved in terrorism," said Robi, Agus' friend.
He added that Agus had taught Islamic teachings to children at Baiturrahman mosque in Surakarta over the past four years.
Agus' uncle, Afandi, said his nephew always helped his printing business after school.
Afandi's family too was shocked when two police officers came to search his room on Friday night, as well as ask questions and demand his photographs. They also confiscated his books and diary.
A cleric who requested for anonymity said that Agus had regularly visited the Darusy-Syahadah Islamic boarding school in Boyolali, Central Java, since the mid 1990s to learn Islamic jurisprudence.
The cleric recognized his face after seeing his picture published in the media.
The school's spokesperson, Zainal Abidin, however, denied the allegations.
Police have visited the school several times lately as aside from Agus, Salik Firdaus -- the suicide bomber at Kafe Nyoman, Bali -- as well as Jabir, one of the Australian Embassy's bombers, once studied at the same school.
"We don't know if Salik was involved in the bombing. We have never taught such terrorist acts," Zaenal said.
According to Agus' sister Purwanti, the last time the family saw Agus was in August, when he made an impromptu visit before going back to Surakarta.
"I have to go back to Solo (Surakarta), there are a lot of things to do," said Purwanti, quoting Agus.
For the first time since he left his hometown, however, he did not return home to celebrate Idul Fitri early this month. His family did not know why. Now they do.