RI men held in RP 'not linked to JI'
Eva C. Komandjaja, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta
Two Indonesians being detained in the Philippines are not connected with recent bomb attacks in this country despite allegedly being members of the regional terror group Jamaah Islamiyah (JI), the National Police say.
National Police Chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar said he was aware of the capture of the two men but said there was no evidence he knew of connecting them with any regional terrorist groups operating here.
"We have examined our files and found no relation between them and the attacks here at all," Da'i said on Friday.
Mohammed Yusop Karim Faiz and Mohammad Nasir Hamid, along with Malaysian Mohammed Ted Yolanda and an alleged member of the Filipino Muslim militant group Abu Sayyaf, were arrested by the Philippine authorities in December in the southern port city of Zamboanga and were allegedly planning to attack an airport, shopping malls, a church and U.S. soldiers in the Philippines.
Charges of illegal firearms, explosive use and violation of immigration laws have been filed against the three men, allowing their continued detention more than two months after their arrest, AFP said.
Abu Sayyaf is accused of involvement in kidnapping-for-ransom scams and bomb attacks against Christians and foreigners in the Philippines for over a decade.
The group has also been blamed for the bombing of a ferry in Manila Bay last year that led to more than 100 deaths -- the deadliest terrorist attack in the country.
A Philippine senior police intelligence officer had said the four men being detained were JI members.
"They are members of the Jamaah Islamiyah who came to the country to bring funds to support the bombing operations in key cities in Mindanao and Metro Manila," said Chief Superintendent Ismael Rafanan.
The police seized US$7,000 in cash from the suspects along with two pistols, a video of Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, books and other materials for bomb-making including mobile phones, detonating cords and blasting caps.
The Al-Qaeda-linked JI has been blamed for a string of bombings in Indonesia, including the Bali blasts in 2002, JW Marriott Hotel attack in Jakarta in 2003 and the bombing outside the Australian Embassy in the city last year.
Police here have two JI operatives -- Azahari bin Husin and Mohd. Noordin Top -- on their most-wanted list for masterminding of those bombings.
Da'i said the Philippine authorities have promised to grant access to the Indonesian police to cross examine the two Indonesian suspects.
"We'll send an anti-terror team to the Philippines to monitor the investigation as soon as they grant the access," Da'i said.
Another Indonesian, Agus Dwikarna, is serving a 11-year jail term in the Philippines for smuggling explosives into the country in 2001.
In October 2003, Philippine troops shot dead an Indonesian national, Fathur Rohman Al-Ghozi, a terrorist suspect who escaped from prison earlier that year. Al-Ghozi was serving a 17-year sentence for illegal possession of explosives.