LAKSAMANA.Net, April 23, 2003 11:33 PM
18 Jemaah Islamiyah Members Arrested
Laksamana.Net - Police have arrested 18 suspected members of the Jemaah
Islamiyah regional terrorism network, including the group's new spiritual leader, during
a series of raids over the past week. Officers also seized guns and explosives from
the militants' hideouts.
Inspector General Erwin Mapasseng, chief of the criminal investigation bureau, said
police on Wednesday (23/4/03) arrested Abu Rusdan in the Central Java town of
Kudus.
Rusdan has been identified as Jemaah Islamiyah's new emir, replacing Abu Bakar
Baasyir, who was arrested on October 20, 2002, and is now on trial for treason.
Police have also nabbed Nasir Abbas, a Malaysian, who has been described as a
sub-regional chief of Jemaah Islamiyah. He was arrested on Friday in Bekasi, east of
Jakarta.
Another 12 militants were caught in Palu, Central Sulawesi; three others in Cileungsi,
Bogor, West Java; and one at an undisclosed location.
Three of 18 detainees arrested are suspected of involvement in the October 12 Bali
nightclub bombings that killed 202 people. The three were identified as Syawab, alias
Sarjio, who allegedly helped make the bombs; Umar Besar, alias Wayan; and Ahmad
Rohim, alias Saad.
National Police chief General Dai Bachtiar said the seizures of the weapons and
explosives indicated the suspects were planning terrorist attacks ahead of next year's
general election.
Jemaah Islamiyah aims to use terror attacks to overthrow regional governments and
establish a pan-Islamic state covering Indonesia, Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore and the
southern Philippines.
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