Student stands trial for terrorism activities

Student stands trial for terrorism activities

Urip Hudiono, Jakarta

The trial of a student charged with involvement in international
terrorist activities who says he has met Osama bin Laden began at
the Central Jakarta District Court on Tuesday.

State prosecutor AA Welang told the hearing presided over by
Judge Sugito that defendant Muhamad Saifudin alias Musab alias
Ayyash bin Abu Amar, 24, had been involved in the Jamaah
Islamiyah (JI) regional terrorist network since 1998. Later he
underwent three months of military training at the group's
Hudaibiyah camp on the southern Philippines island of Moro,
Welang said.

"During that period the defendant was trained to use
explosives and weapons and taught guerrilla warfare skills," he
said.

In June 2001, the defendant went to study at Abu Bakar Islamic
University in Karachi, Pakistan, Welang said. The following month
he went to Afghanistan on the request of alleged JI leader Riduan
Isamuddin, alias Hambali, to join Taliban forces who were then
fighting United States troops.

Saifudin, along with fellow Indonesian students Rusman
Gunawan, alias Gun Gun, Ilham Sofiandi and Furqon, were deported
from Pakistan in December for their alleged involvement in
terrorist groups. They have been placed under police custody here
since then.

Rusman is the younger brother of Hambali, who is being held by
the U.S. in an undisclosed place after his capture in Thailand in
August. Indonesia has been asking the U.S. for direct access to
Hambali but to no avail.

JI is allegedly linked to Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda and has
been blamed for a string of terror attacks in the region, notably
the Bali bombings on Oct. 12, 2002, which killed 202 people and
the JW Marriott Hotel attack in Jakarta on Aug. 5, 2003, which
killed 12.

Welang said Saifudin returned to Pakistan in 2002, again under
Hambali's orders, he organized the Al Ghuroba group with Rusman,
which distributed religious materials.

"On several occasions, however, the defendant also gave out
information urging the group to join Osama bin Laden's religious
wars," Welang said. "The defendant also recruited fellow students
to join military training with the group."

Before the trial, Saifudin said he had met and talked with bin
Laden several times during his stay in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The prosecutors charged Saifudin with violating Article 15 of
Law No. 15/2003 on terrorism, for conspiring and aiding acts of
terror, and Article 16 of the same law for supporting acts of
terror outside Indonesian territory.

Both violations carry a sentence of between four and 20 years.

Saifudin is also charged with violating Article 48 of Law No.
9/1992 on immigration, for illegally leaving Indonesia without
going through proper immigration procedures on his trip to the
Philippines, an offense which carries a maximum sentence of three
years jail.

The court was adjourned until June 22 to hear the defense
arguments.