The Jakarta Post, March 28, 2007
Arrested men were 'good citizens'
Blontank Poer, The Jakarta Post, Surakarta
Two men arrested last week over their alleged involvement in a terrorism network were
described as "good citizens" by their neighbors.
Karim, 37, known as Sikas bin Wiryo to his neighbors, was arrested in Sleman,
Yogyakarta, along with Sutarjo, 32, alias Akhyas or Abi Isa.
"Sikas is a very helpful person. He likes to help his neighbors and doesn't choose his
friends," said a villager, Jumadi, 28.
Jumadi said Sikas was a respected Koran recital teacher and imam of the local
mosque in Toriyo village, Sukoharjo, Central Java. He worked his neighbor's farm as a
sharecropper.
But when nine police arrived in the village on March 21, a bruised Sikas showed the
men to a room where he kept a number of weapons.
"Police might have interrogated him earlier," said a neighbor who refused to be
identified.
The man in his 30s, who is a cousin of Surani, Sikas' wife, said he never realized that
Sikas had concealed 625 kilograms of potassium chloride, 20 kg of TNT and 16
grenades in his house.
"I didn't realize that I had played with Sikas' child almost every day before and after
work on top of the arms stash in the room," he said.
A woman who usually buys vegetables from a vendor with other housewives, including
Surani, also expressed shock at the arrest.
"There are many ways for God to show people's wrongdoings. Just imagine if Sikas
wasn't caught and those things were to explode, we'd all die together," said the
middle-aged woman, who also refused to be named. She said that the police had said
that amount of explosives found would have been enough to destroy every building
within a 3-kilometer radius.
The woman said she had often asked Surani about the large amount of food she
bought. "She said she only cooked for herself, Sikas and their three-year-old adopted
child, and sometimes when they were expecting Sikas' friends," said the woman.
Residents of Temulus hamlet, Pondok village, Grogol district in Sukoharjo were
similarly stunned by the discovery of explosive materials and automatic arms in
Sutarjo's house.
"When the police came and told us a resident named Akhyas was involved in
terrorism, I rejected the idea there and then. I told them none of our residents were
involved in such crime," said neighborhood chief Agus Iswanto.
Agus said he was shocked when the officers took him to one of their cars. Inside was
a man Agus recognized and who had been gone from the village for two days.
"It turned out that Akhyas is the alias of Sutarjo," said Agus, adding that Sutarjo
would only smile when asked about his involvement in terrorism
Agus said he was startled when the police asked him to be a witness of the search of
Sutarjo's house, inside of which police found an automatic M-16 assault rifle, two
pistols and some TNT.
"He is a very private person and seldom mixed with residents here," said Agus.
He said that Sutarjo had changed after marrying Sri Suyani three years ago.
"Before he married, his life was filled with just attending one Koran recital after the
other. He never mixed with residents," said Agus.
After he got married, Sutarjo was often seen chatting with residents after returning
from teaching at the Ulul Albab Islamic boarding school in Polokarto, around 15 km
away from his house.
"He likes to be involved in community work and hangs out at the coffee stall with his
neighbors. He seldom leaves the village for a long time, except for Koran recitals, but I
don't know where," said Agus.
However, local opinions of the men changed following the armed clash between the
police and members of a terrorist group led by Abu Dujana in Maguwoharjo, Sleman,
Yogyakarta on the night of March 23.
Sutarjo left the village on a motorbike he borrowed from Murtini, his sister, to fetch
Sikas and hold a meeting with friends in Yogyakarta.
According to Murtini, he left for Klaten in a hurry to reach a friend's house.
"He said he wanted to go to Klaten to see his friend, but returned home bringing
problems," she said.
He might have gone to Klaten to fetch Muhammad Aman Suryanto, alias Agus Aryo,
who was killed in Maguwoharjo. According to a police source in Surakarta, Sutarjo
was riding pillion with Sikas when the clash occurred.
"He was carrying a rifle which he had placed inside a badminton racket case," said
the source.
Another source said at least 30 people living in the Surakarta area were on the
police's wanted list.
"However, we're not sure we would find as much evidence as yesterday. They are
likely to have moved their cache," said the source.
All contents copyright © of The Jakarta Post.
|
