SE Asia begins manhunt for fugitive JI bomber

SE Asia begins manhunt for fugitive JI bomber

Jason Gutierrez, Reuters, Manila

Southeast Asian governments on Tuesday mounted a massive manhunt
for a top Jamaah Islamiyah (JI) bomb expert who escaped from a
Philippine jail, amid warnings he could launch fresh attacks in
the region.

A "general alarm" has been raised by the Philippine military
and police forces as well as intelligence agencies to locate
Fathur Rohman Al-Ghozi, who on Monday bolted from what was
supposedly a highly-secured cell inside Manila's national police
headquarters.

"Indonesia and Malaysia have been alerted and there is a big
manhunt already," National Security Adviser Roilo Golez told
reporters.

"This is probably the biggest manhunt in the Philippines so
far, and maybe even in the region," he said.

The Indonesian convict, who fled with two Filipino Muslim
militants from the Abu Sayyaf group, is a self-confessed JI bomb
expert who was serving a 17-year jail term for illegal possession
of explosives.

He has also admitted to playing a crucial role in a bomb
attack on a Manila railway station and other public installations
that killed 22 people in 2000, as well as of planning attacks on
Western targets in Singapore.

Boyish-looking and reserved, Al-Ghozi is known to use several
names and to have in the past maintained several bank accounts in
the Philippines.

Security officials said he is the most senior JI leader ever
convicted in the region and that he is well trained in bomb
making and surveillance and could easily organize attacks against
targets.

"We're assuming that he's attempting to get out of the
Philippines," Golez said.

Troops in the southern Philippines were told to intercept Al-
Ghozi if he tried to make contact with Muslim separatist rebels
in the main southern island of Mindanao, armed forces spokesman
Lt. Col. Daniel Lucero said.

"We're gathering intelligence information on the possible
escape routes such as airports, seaports, bus terminals in
Mindanao," Lucero said.

"Our southern backdoor is very open. Anybody can just go in
and out. Though we have joint border patrol operations with
Malaysia or Indonesia, the area is too large relative to our
capacity to monitor every incident in the area."

"Our troops, especially our intelligence community, were
already alerted to monitor all possible routes of withdrawal."

The island provinces of Tawi-Tawi, Jolo and Palawan, which
enjoy a common sea border with Malaysia and which sea pirates
have traditionally used to smuggle goods, were being watched
closely, he said.

Flights bound for Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia were being
strictly monitored, and Al-Ghozi's picture has been posted in all
immigration counters.

Muhamad Muda, Malaysia's marine police chief said security
officials in Sabah state on Borneo Island, have been alerted
about the escape of Al-Ghozi.

"Our maritime boys are on full alert. We have ordered strict
checks on all boats and passengers that come into Malaysia. We do
not want him to seek sanctuary in Malaysia. He is a dangerous
militant," he told AFP.

Indonesian national police spokesman Zainuri Lubis said
similar efforts were underway, with non-official entry points in
East Kalimantan (Borneo) and Sangir-Talaud islands near the
Philippines being watched closely.

Jakarta was also prepared to cooperate with Manila to
recapture Al-Ghozi, said foreign ministry spokesman Marty
Natalegawa.

The U.S. and Australian governments on Tuesday warned that Al-
Ghozi's escape could lead to fresh terror attacks in the region,
which is still reeling from the October bombings in Bali that
left more than 200 tourists dead.

Australian Prime Minister John Howard, in Manila for the first
leg of his Asian tour, warned that despite a region-wide
crackdown on JI militants, the group still has "great capacity to
mount further terrorist attacks."

"The escape of the three terrorists yesterday here in Manila
is a serious setback," Howard said, adding that investigations
reveal that "JI's network is more extensive that first thought."

U.S. embassy spokesman Frank Jenista said the escape "raises
the threat of terror" in the Philippines, and added his
government was "deeply disturbed" by the ease of Al-Ghozi's
escape.