Police look into JI-MILF link

JAKARTA: The National Police are investigating a possible connection between Southeast Asia's Jamaah Islamiyah (JI) terrorist group and the Philippine's Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

National Police chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar announced that the investigation was based on a connection between alleged JI members and MILF members.

"Individually, some members (of both groups) are connected. But we have yet to find the structural connection," he said.

Earlier this week, the police revealed that Fathurrahman Al- Ghozi, an Indonesian currently serving a 12-year prison term for the illegal possession of explosives in the Philippines, confessed that he had been involved in the bombing outside the residence of the Philippine ambassador here in 2000.

Al-Ghozi allegedly transported the bombs for the MILF rebels, who are fighting for an independent state.

Some Bali bomb suspects who are thought to be JI members reportedly trained on Mindanao island, the Philippines, where MILF is based.

JI is said to be the Southeast Asian wing of the al-Qaeda terrorist network. Indonesian cleric Abu Bakar Ba'asyir is allegedly the spiritual leader of JI. Ba'asyir has been in police custody for five months on treason charges. -- JP