The Jakarta Post, 1/9/2006 3:46:47 PM
Another Islamic militant goes on trial on terrorism charges
JAKARTA (AFP): An Indonesian Islamic militant went on trial Monday on charges of
smuggling firearms for terrorist operations, including some weapons which went to top
terror suspect Noordin Mohammad Top.
Prosecutors at South Jakarta district court accused Enceng Kurnia, 33, of committing
the "crime of terrorism by illegally possessing firearms and ammunition" between April
and September 2004.
They said Enceng gave four Chinese-made handguns to another militant named
Ahmad Rofiq Ridho, who later gave the pistols to Noordin.
Enceng is also accused of smuggling a pistol out ofIndonesia's eastern island of
Ambon and giving it to a militant named Purnama Putra in the Central Java town of
Solo.
Ahmad is on trial separately for allegedly surveying bombing targets including a
Christian school in East Java at the behest of Noordin.
He is the brother of Fathur Rohman al-Ghozi, a leading member of the Jemaah
Islamiyah extremist group (JI) who was killed by Philippine troops in 2003.
Purnama, 24, is also on trial separately, accused of acquiring electronic devices,
detonators and chemicals for bomb-making at the request of Noordin.
Enceng, Purnama and Ahmad belonged to a militant Islamic group called Kompak,
which made videos documenting alleged atrocities against Muslims in Poso in Central
Sulawesi and in Ambon in Maluku province.
Kompak was led by Abdullah Sonata, who is also being tried in Jakarta for alleged
terrorist fund-raising.
Enceng, Purnama, Ahmad and Abdullah are among ten militants who are currently on
trial for alleged terrorism.
More than 6,000 people were killed in Muslim-Christian violence in Maluku and in
Poso between 1999 and 2002. Sporadic violence has continued in the regions despite
peace pacts signed in 2001 and 2002.
Noordin, a Malaysian, is a leading member of the JI group which carried out a series
of deadly bombings in recent years.
His chief accomplice and compatriot Azahari Husin was gunned down by anti-terror
police last November but Noordin remains on therun. (**)
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