Terrorists may stike back for Azahari: BIN

Terrorists may stike back for Azahari: BIN

Agence France-Presse, Jakarta

The killing of Malaysian bombmaker Azahari bin Husin by
Indonesian police could spark revenge attacks and kidnappings for
ransom, National Intelligence Agency (BIN) director Syamsir
Siregar warned on Wednesday.

Syamsir said that before his death, Azahari and his compatriot
Noordin Mohammad Top -- who is still at large -- had recruited an
unknown number of militants who had then received training in
terrorist techniques.

"They are capable of carrying out their work without the need
for orders from the two (Malaysians)," he told reporters.

Militants could be inspired by Azahari's death to launch fresh
attacks, he said.

"It is quite possible as they won't take the fact that their
leader is dead lying down," Syamsir replied when asked whether
the death could provide motivation for attacks on President
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and other senior officials.

Susilo on Tuesday confirmed that the security threat against
him had increased according to information provided by the
intelligence agency. Officials have not divulged, however,
whether any specific threat had been made.

Syamsir said that extremists could turn to kidnapping for
ransom to fund their activities. Warnings about kidnappings have
been made before by the authorities but no mention had been made
of ransom demands.

"There are threats to abduct officials and businessmen as part
of their efforts to raise funds," he said.

Police and troops in the world's most populous Muslim nation
have already been on high alert over the Christmas - New Year
period amid concerns about reprisal attacks following Azahari's
death last month at his East Java hideout.

Azahari and Noordin were key members of the Al-Qaeda-linked
Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) extremist network, blamed for the 2002 Bali
bombings that killed 202 people as well as a string of other
attacks in Indonesia.

Both are believed to have formed their own force after
splitting from JI's mainstream command structure, which is
concerned about heavy Muslim casualties in deadly JI blasts in
recent years.

Documents found in Azahari's East Java hideout also indicated
that the extremists were planning attacks over the holiday
period.

Spy chief Syamsir suggested that a string of bank and
jewelry store robberies in Jakarta and neighboring towns in West
Java in recent weeks may also have been carried out by militants
"trying to raise local funds".

"(Their) foreign-sourced funds are quite likely to have dried
up," Siregar said.

National Police spokesman Paulus Purwoko said the weapons used
by the bank raiders and the ones seized at Azahari's hideout were
all home made.

"These similarities lead us to conclude that they could be
linked to the Azahari group," he told reporters.

Syamsir also urged U.S., Australian, British and Italian
diplomats to contact local police for additional security if they
felt threatened.