RI, RP embark on massive manhunt for al-Ghozi

RI, RP embark on massive manhunt for al-Ghozi

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Nusa Dua, Bali

Indonesia and the Philippines will cooperate in a massive manhunt
for a feared leader of regional terrorist network Jamaah
Islamiyah (JI) who escaped from high security Camp Crame prison
in Manila, the Philippines, earlier this month.

Indonesian foreign minister Hassan Wirayuda and his Philippine
counterpart Blas Ople met in Nusa Dua, Bali, on Wednesday, and
agreed to combine forces in tracking down Fathurrahman al-Ghozi,
an Indonesian responsible for a string of bomb attacks that
claimed 22 lives in Manila in December 2000.

A Manila court sentenced him to 15 years in prison after he
confessed to his role in the December 2000 bombings and a plot to
bomb Western embassies in Singapore.

"The Philippines will send its police chief and intelligence
chief to Indonesia as soon as possible to synchronize efforts to
recapture al-Ghozi," Hassan said after the meeting on Wednesday.

In Jakarta, chief of detectives Erwin Mappaseng said on
Wednesday that the police had received an official letter from
the Philippine police requesting assistance in arresting al-
Ghozi.

Erwin said the police had tightened surveillance at Indonesian
ports and airports to anticipate Fathur's attempted return to
Indonesia.

Fathur, who is a bomb expert, escaped from Camp Crame along
with two Filipino Abu Sayyaf guerrillas detained on suspicion of
kidnapping.

"We share a common concern regarding terrorist activities in
our respective countries and are determined to enhance efforts to
crack down on the (JI) terrorist network," Hassan said.

On the same occasion, Ople said: "We expect to recapture al-
Ghozi within two or three days. We have received assurances from
Minister Hassan that all access points from the Philippines to
Indonesia are being watched by security personnel.

"Should al-Ghozi mistakenly enter Indonesia, he will be
promptly arrested," he said.

Ople said more than 5,000 police were currently looking for
al-Ghozi.

Al-Ghozi was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment in 2002 for
carrying a huge amount of explosive material into the country. He
is believed to be a leader of JI.

He managed to escape from the high security detention center
with two members of the militant Moro Liberation Front.

Since the escape, there has been speculation that al-Ghozi may
have returned to Indonesia due to the arrest of nine suspected
members of JI a few days earlier in Semarang, Central Java, and
Jakarta.

Wirayuda said that since al-Ghozi's escape, the Philippines
had been in regular contact with Indonesia in efforts to hunt him
down.

"As the incident (the escape) was almost at the same time as
the arrest of JI members and the confiscation of tons of
explosives, we need to be on high alert concerning the
whereabouts of this man," Wirayuda said.