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.