Warning issued on terrorist kidnap plot
Warning issued on terrorist kidnap plot
Rendi A. Witular, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
After randomly killing innocent people in their attacks over the
past three years, terrorists operating in the country are now out
to abduct ministers, government bureaucrats and foreign
diplomats, a top intelligence official says.
National Intelligence Agency (BIN) chief Syamsir Siregar
warned on Tuesday that the new tactic could be put into action
over Christmas and the New Year.
"BIN has received credible reports to the effect that there
will be a change in the targets of the operations conducted by
the terrorist group -- from blowing up public places during
Christmas and New Year to coordinated operations to kidnap
influential people," Syamsir said after a meeting with President
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
The intelligence authorities believe that new recruits of
master bomb maker Azahari bin Husin, who died in early November
during a security forces raid, and his Malaysian compatriot
Noordin M. Top, remain a potential threat to the country's
security.
Syamsir added that the terrorists had decided to abduct
prominent figures instead of launching new strikes after the
government beefed up security across the country ahead of the
holidays.
The terrorists would target figures who have access to policy
making, including ministers, bureaucrats and foreign diplomats.
But Syamsir refused to identify which figures the terror group
was aiming at.
Syamsir, a retired two-star Army general, requested that the
public and the authorities stay on alert over the next couple of
months to prevent possible abductions or attacks.
"We are optimistic, however, that we can neutralize the
threats and arrest the remaining followers of Azahari. Their
movements have been limited following the various operations
launched by the security authorities," he said.
Azahari and Noordin, top operatives of the al-Qaeda-linked
Jamaah Islamiyah organization, are allegedly responsible for
various bomb outrages in the country since 2002. The latest
bombings shook Bali on Oct. 1, killing 23 people, including three
suicide bombers.
Suspected members of JI have also been accused of detonating
bombs at 11 churches across the country on Christmas Eve 2000,
killing 19 people.
Azahari was killed during a raid in Batu, Malang, West Java,
last month. The police antiterror squad is still hunting Noordin
after he managed to evade arrest.
A document found during a raid on one of Noordin's hideouts said
the terrorist group planned to launch bomb attacks on several
places in Jakarta.