Police web site hacked by Laskar Jihad supporters

JAKARTA (JP): The National Police discovered on Tuesday that its official web site had been hacked by a group calling itself the Indonesian Muslim Hackers Movement (KAHMI).

Normally filled with information relating to police forces across the nation, the web site, www.polri.go.id, instead carried a strong message demanding the release of Ja'far Umar Thalib, commander of the Laskar Jihad Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jamma'ah Muslim group.

"This hacking incident is an obvious effort to put pressure on police to release Ja'far. We were of course shocked by it, but it will not influence our decision regarding him," National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Didi Widayadi said on Tuesday.

The message, stated in bold colorful letters that, if the National Police did not have the ability to solve the problems of Muslims, they should not instead try to fight religious followers.

Excerpts from the message included a warning that the police "should not try to form a conspiracy with the Jews, the Christians and other enemies of Islam who are not happy with the adoption of Islamic Law".

Police arrested Ja'far on Friday at Juanda Airport in Surabaya, East Java, on charges of inciting hatred against a religion and ordering the murder of one of his followers on a mission in riot-torn Maluku.

Didi added that the hacking of the web site did not affect the work of the National Police Headquarters.

Separately, National Police Chief Gen. Surojo Bimantoro declared on Tuesday that any kind of pressure would not influence him or his personnel to release Ja'far.

"We are focusing our investigation primarily on the murder charge," said Bimantoro, to whom KAHMI was directing its message.

He said Ja'far would face 556 questions from police.

In a related development, lawyers of the Laskar Jihad filed a lawsuit at the South Jakarta District Court against the National Police, alleging the unlawful arrest of Ja'far.

Indonesian Ulemas Council (MUI) deputy chairman Amidhan joined his colleague MUI secretary-general Din Syamsuddin in providing a guarantee that Ja'far would not abscond should he be released from police custody.

Didi also said that National Police remained undecided over a formal request for the temporary release of former Palangka Raya University rector KMA Usop, who has been named a suspect for allegedly inciting interethnic clashes between Dayaks and Madurese migrants in Central Kalimantan.

"What Usop has been charged with is not a light matter. We will consider all aspects of the case before we arrive at any decision," Didi said.

Usop's lawyer, Baron Ruhat Binti, said on Tuesday that he was quite confident the National Police would release his client within the next two days. (ylt)