Wife of fugitive terrorist suspect gets three years
Wife of fugitive terrorist suspect gets three years
ID Nugroho, The Jakarta Post, Pasuruan, East Java
The wife of a Malaysian fugitive suspected of masterminding a
spate of terror attacks in the country was jailed for three years
on Thursday for hiding information about her husband.
The district court in Bangil, 90 kilometers south of the East
Java capital of Surabaya, found Munfiatun alias Fitri guilty of
withholding information on the whereabouts of alleged terrorism
perpetrator Noordin Moh. Top, a violation of Law No. 15/2003 on
antiterrorism.
Judges who heard the case said that Munfiatun, 29, had
falsified her marriage certificate, which identifies Noordin as
Abdurahman Aufi. The two married on July 7 last year at an
Islamic marriage office in Pasuruan.
"The defendant is legally and convincingly guilty of
concealing information on a terror suspect and submitting false
data required for the issuance of an official document,"
presiding judge Amiryat said.
The judges found the defendant had frequent contact with
Noordin while he was on the run. They said her acts had stirred
anxiety among the public.
However, the judges acquitted her of terrorism charges that
carry the maximum death sentence.
Prosecutors had earlier demanded four years' imprisonment for
the woman.
Noordin and fellow Malaysian bomb expert Azahari bin Husin
have been wanted for a string of terror attacks in the country
since the Oct. 12, 2002 blasts in Bali, in which 202 people were
killed. The two allegedly masterminded the JW Marriott Hotel
bombing in Jakarta on Aug. 5, 2003, which claimed 12 lives, and
the Sept. 20, 2004 attack on the Australian Embassy, which left
11 people dead.
Police have offered a reward of Rp 1 billion (US$105,200) for
information leading to the arrest of the two suspects, who are
believed to be linked with regional terror group Jamaah
Islamiyah.
Security was tightened during the hearing, with all court
attendants, including Munfiatun's mother Harozum, required to
undergo a search before entering the court room. Relatives of
Munfiatun were also in attendance.
In response to the verdict, Munfiatun said she would seek the
advice of her lawyers from the Muslim Team of Lawyers.
"I will think it over," said the woman, who was clad in a
black veil.
The prosecutors said they would appeal to the higher court, as
did Munfiatun's lawyers.
One of the attorneys, Fahmi H. Bachmid, said the court had no
evidence to conclude that Abdurrahman Aufi was the terror suspect
Noordin.
"No authentic evidence was unveiled during the trial that
Abdurrahman and Noordin are the same person," Fahmi said.
The lawyers said their client had not known her husband was a
terrorist suspect on the run.
Police arrested Munfiatun last September, during a manhunt for
the two terror suspects following the bomb attack outside the
Australian Embassy in Jakarta.