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.