The Jakarta Post, March 28, 2007
Father of terror suspect questioned
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The Surabaya Police questioned Tuesday Amir Slamet, the father of suspected
terrorist Ahmad Syahrul Uman, alias Khoirul, who was arrested Wednesday at his
house in Surabaya.
"Khoirul's father was questioned at the Surabaya City Police headquarters in his
capacity as a witness to help track Khoirul's activities," East Java Police chief Insp.
Gen. Herman S. Sumawiredja said in Surabaya.
Herman said terrorists could move in any direction and be present anywhere,
including in East Java. "Now it's clear there are (suspected) terrorists in East Java
after two of them were arrested," he said, referring to the capture of both Khoirul and
Maulana Yusuf Wibisono, alias Kholis, a resident of Morokrembangan in Surabaya,
who was arrested last week.
The two are believed to be members of a terrorist group led by Afghan-trained militant
Abu Dujana, the most wanted man in Indonesia after fugitive terrorist Noordin M. Top.
Herman urged families to keep an eye on the professions of their children. "Parents
should supervise their children, including what jobs they go into. Don't let them
become terrorists," he said, as quoted by Antara.
During the arrest of Khoirul on Monday, the police confiscated explosives and
weapons from his house.
Herman said that the suspect had been sent to Jakarta, while the evidence was being
examined at the police's forensic laboratory in Surabaya.
"The evidence has been taken over by the anti-terror Detachment 88 police unit. The
explosives were scheduled to be sent to Poso," he said.
Herman said his officers had been carrying out a number of activities to curtail terrorist
attacks in East Java, ranging from routine operations to field observations.
"We've increased our operations by monitoring areas which are prone to such attacks,
like the one conducted by the Malang and Surabaya police officers," he said.
In a related development, security has also been intensified in Yogyakarta, where
police managed to arrest five suspected terrorists last week. The arrests led to the
capture of other suspects and the seizure of weapons caches.
"The police intensified security to prevent a terrorist network from entering this region,"
Yogyakarta Police spokesman Adj. Sr. Comr. Budi Santosa was quoted by Antara as
saying.
Budi said that the police were continuing to hunt down other suspects, including
those who managed to escape the police's raid in Sleman on March 20.
"The results of the hunt are still being used by the police as reference and is not for
the consumption of the media due to its confidential nature," he said.
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