Surakarta Police alerted to terror plan
Yogita Tahilramani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The National Police alerted on Monday the Surakarta police headquarters in Central Java to investigate claims that terrorists were planning to launch a wave of attacks on U.S. embassies and businesses in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia.
"We have alerted the Surakarta police... also Batam and Surabaya in East Java to check on available data of the men allegedly involved in the (terrorist) plans as stated in a news report on Monday," National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Saleh Saaf told The Jakarta Post.
Citing a 15-page document allegedly found by Indonesian intelligence officials in Jakarta, Singapore's The Straits Times newspaper reported on Monday that three terrorist hit squads were planning to blow up U.S. embassies in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia with bombs made from C-4 military explosives.
The names of the men, who are allegedly involved directly in the planning, have been identified as Abbas Yahya, Zaenal Muttaqien, Muhammad Furqon, Abdul Talib, Zulfikar, Zulkarnaen Subairi, Fajri Al Farizi, Mohammad Yunus and Mohammad Ikram. They are still at large in Indonesia and presumed to be Indonesians.
The National Police believe that the names are mere aliases.
The report, which was reportedly written in Indonesian and Arabic and was signed by members of the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), and also mentioned Fathur Rohman al Ghozy as a player. Fathur is an Indonesian who was arrested in the Philippines on Jan. 15 on terrorism charges.
The Strait Times report however did not clarify whether the Indonesian intelligence officials, who reportedly found the document, belonged to either the Indonesian Military Intelligence or the State Intelligence Body.
Singaporean officials thwarted the attacks, reportedly planned for Dec. 4 last year, and arrested dozens of suspects in Malaysia and Singapore, the report said.
"We are investigating these claims. The Indonesian Police do not know about a document stating such plans... give us time. I have alerted the National Police Intelligence over the matter. They are looking into it," Saleh said.
In an interview with The Jakarta Post, an Indonesian police officer had earlier claimed that some members of JI had reportedly been found to be currently based in Sragen, some 20 kilometers outside of Surakarta in Central Java, but police immediately retracted their statement the next day.
The 15-page document read that the JI members had reportedly declared "a holy war," according to the news report.
"It is time for us to engage in a holy war to eradicate the Jewish 'satans' in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia."
The document claimed Islam was being threatened by "political and military aggression" following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The JI attacks were planned at a secret meeting held on Sept. 28. -- more than a week before U.S.-led airstrikes on Afghanistan started, the report said.
"By hunting Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda, they justify the murder of children and women in Afghanistan," the document said.
Separately, Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda said on Monday that Indonesia was determined to fight terrorism and was ready to take action against any citizen linked to it.
"If there are indications and other evidence, there's no doubt that the government will take action," Wirayuda told reporters after a cabinet meeting, as quoted by AFP.
He said the arrest overseas of Indonesians accused of links to international terrorism would not damage the country's image, arguing that citizens of other countries including Britain and the United States were also implicated.