Comments

You have commented 339 times on Rantburg.

Your Name

Your e-mail (optional)

Website (optional)

	My Original Nic Pic-a-Nic Sorry. Comments have been closed on this article.
Foto

Submit your comments on this article

India-Pakistan

Indonesia protests Karachi arrests

2003-09-22

The Indonesian government has sent a protest note to the Pakistani authorities over the arrest in Karachi of two Indonesian students suspected of being Islamic militants. âThe acting ambassador in Islamabad has sent a protest note to the Pakistani Foreign Ministry because it did not notify the embassy of the arrest. The Pakistani ambassador to Indonesia has also been summoned to the foreign ministry,â the acting Indonesian consul general in Karachi, Temu Alam, said. However, the Interior Ministryâs National Crisis Management Cell director, Brigadier Javed Cheema, said the ârequest for their arrest came from their respective countries, who have sought their deportation.

"Well, we didn't mean for you to arrest them that hard..."

They may be in a better position to confirm links of some of them with Jemaah Islamiyah". Mr Alam was quoted by the Detikcom online news service as saying that the consulate general also planned to send a letter to the governor of Karachi to obtain information on the whereabouts of the arrested Indonesians. Pakistani authorities on Saturday said they had arrested 13 Malaysians and two Indonesians on suspicion of being Islamic militants in a pre-dawn raid on a seminary in Karachi. Two students from Myanmar were also arrested. Mr Alam identified the two arrested Indonesians as Gungun Rusman Gunawan (27) originally from the West Java town of Cianjur and Muhammad Saifuddin from the Central Java town of Sleman. He said the two were arrested at the Abu Bakar Islamic University in Karachi by police officers but their current whereabouts were unknown. Saifuddin was a new student still on probation, not yet a full permanent student of the university. An intelligence official confirmed to AFP the 15 students were suspected of links with the JI, but added that none of the detainees admitted to links with extremist groups. âThey only admitted they had overstayed their visas, but said they were just devoted Muslims and students,â he said.

"I'm just a devoted Muslim. Wanna see my turban? Wanna touch my rocket launcher?"

Posted by:Fred Pruitt

#3 Confirmed by Pakistan's Interior Ministry:
The younger brother of Hambali, al-Qaida's suspected point man for Southeast Asia, has been arrested along with 16 other people suspected of terrorist activities, Pakistan's Interior Ministry said Monday. The brother, Rusman Gunawan, was among 17 people from Malaysia, Indonesia and Myanmar arrested Saturday in raids on three Islamic schools in Karachi, ministry spokesman Iftikhar Ahmad told The Associated Press. "Yes, the brother of Hambali is among the 13 Malaysian and two Indonesian students who were detained in Karachi," Ahmad said.

Posted by: Seafarious 2003-9-22 1:19:27 PM

#2 More details: The younger brother of Hambali, al-Qaida's suspected point man for Southeast Asia, has been arrested on immigration charges in Pakistan along with several other people, two senior Pakistani Interior Ministry officials said Monday. The man, Rusman Gunawan, was one of 17 people from Malaysia, Indonesia and Myanmar arrested Saturday in raids on three Islamic schools in the southern Pakistani port city of Karachi, said one official, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. The official is closely involved in Pakistan's campaign against terrorists. An Indonesia-based terrorism expert said Gunawan was believed to be in charge of the Pakistan branch of Jemaah Islamiyah, the terror network his brother is accused of helping found. Gunawan is believed to have arranged trips for Hambali to Pakistan and Afghanistan, said the expert, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

If confirmed he's a important catch.

Posted by: Steve 2003-9-22 9:41:01 AM

#1 Gungun Rusman Guawan may have interesting relatives: The authorities in Pakistan are investigating whether a man arrested in Karachi at the weekend is the younger brother of Asian terror suspect Hambali. Interior Ministry spokesman Iftikhar Ahmed said identity checks were being carried out with the authorities in Indonesia to establish whether Rusman Gunawan was among those detained. Reports say he was picked up with at least 14 others from Malaysia and Indonesia on immigration charges. Hambali's real name is Riduan Isamuddin. Many Indonesians only use their given names, so family members often do not have the same surname.
The way these groups like to keep it in the family makes Rusman a "person of interest".

Posted by: Steve 2003-9-22 9:16:21 AM

00:00