Police to question six suspected RI terrorist

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta/Kudus, Central Java

The government will detain for questioning the six Indonesian students currently held by Pakistani authorities for alleged involvement in terrorist activities, the foreign minister said.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirayuda also said on Tuesday that a joint team consisting of ministry officials and police personnel would leave for Pakistan this week to bring the students home. Pakistan has decided to deport the students.

"The team will bring them home for further investigation into their possible terrorist activities," he said after a security meeting.

Pakistan said earlier that two of the six students were involved in terrorist acts, while the remaining four were part of a terrorist cell in that country.

The six students are Rusman Gunawan, alias Gun Gun, Muhammad Saifuddin, Ilham Sopandi, Furquon Abdullah, Muhammad Anwar Asshidique and David Pintarto.

Gun Gun is the younger brother of Indonesian-born terrorist suspect Ridwan Isamuddin, alias Hambali, the alleged regional point man of Osama bin Laden. Gun Gun has admitted to sending money to Hambali, who is currently under U.S. custody at an undisclosed location.

"Pakistani authorities have offered to deport these men back here because they did not plan any terrorist attacks in that country and did not violate any regulations there," Hassan said.

The six students were detained for alleged visa violations, but the ensuing probe indicated they were linked to terrorist activities.

Meanwhile, National Police deputy public relations chief Brig. Gen. Soenarko said the police had prepared a series of questions for the students.

"Police will question them as soon as they arrive," he said.

National Police Chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar has said the students do not have any criminal records.

"They will be deported because they have involved in some misdemeanor, and we can't say whether they are involved in terrorism acts or not. However, if they are involved in such activities, they will be prosecuted under Pakistani law, as well as Egyptian law," said Soenarko.

In another development, a man allegedly involved in regional terrorist network Jamaah Islamiyah (JI), Taufik Achmad, was abducted by unidentified men on Sunday in Kudus, Central Java.

Taufik's wife Alisyah did not report the abduction to police, although her husband was taken by five unidentified men in a minivan in broad daylight.

Sutarno, a neighbor, said on Tuesday that Taufik was once seen with Abu Rusdan, a suspected terrorist currently on trial.

Taufik also attended Al Islam boarding school and was classmates with Amrozi, one of the Bali bombing masterminds now on death row.

Local police continue to hunt down two other terrorist suspects, Taufik Rozak and Parawiyanto, who are said to be members of a group that built a stockpile of explosives in Central Java.