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| Southeast Asia |
| Former student sez Azahari was a fun guy |
| 2005-11-11 |
| A former student of a key Malaysian terror suspect who was killed in a dramatic police raid in Indonesia this week professed astonishment Friday at his true identity, calling him a fun teacher and passionate soccer fan. Lum Chih Feng, 27, who took a class on thesis writing and property valuation taught by Azahari bin Husin at the University Teknologi Malaysia, said his teacher once spoke about bomb-making during a lecture, but never went into details. "He said making bombs is not difficult, but he just stopped there ... and I can't remember in what context," Lum told The Associated Press. Lum said he and his friends were stunned when they heard that Azahari - whom they considered a "fun guy" - was wanted throughout Southeast Asia, reviled for his bomb-making skills, and suspected of involvement in several deadly attacks including the 2002 bombs on Indonesia's Bali island. Azahari, who was believed to be in his 40s, never exhibited any traits that the students linked to Islamic extremism, Lum said. "Unlike other lecturers who were all the while wearing (Muslim skullcaps) and robes, Dr. Azahari never once wore such clothes," he said. "Almost the entire class enjoyed his lectures because he used to get us thinking." He studied mechanical engineering at Adelaide University in Australia before getting a doctorate in property valuation from Reading University in England in 1990. Lum said Azahari was a jovial man who talked about going to watch English Premier League soccer games when he studied in Britain. "He often told us how he used to support the English teams and there was one occasion when he demonstrated how he used to remove his T-shirt when his team scored a goal ... if I remember correctly, he was a Manchester United fan," Lum said separately,according to The Star newspaper Friday. Authorities believe Azahari joined the al-Qaeda linked regional terror network Jamaah Islamiyah - blamed for a series of bombings and failed plots in Indonesia, the Philippines and Singapore - after he stopped teaching at the university. Azahari fled Malaysia, leaving behind his wife and two children, when police uncovered his alleged role in the terror group during a crackdown after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in the United States. He is known to have received bomb-making training in Mindanao in the southern Philippines in 1999, and advanced training in Afghanistan in 2000. He and another militant died in a policeraid on their hideout in Batu, 860 kilometers (530 miles) east of the Indonesian capital Jakarta on Wednesday. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #2 The way it's been described, making bombs isn't difficult. It's making bombs that don't explode until scheduled, and do explode then, and not just with a damp pfffft, that's the difficult part. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2005-11-11 13:28 |
| #1 He said making bombs is not difficult, but he just stopped there Authorities believe Azahari joined the al-Qaeda ..Jamaah Islamiyah ...after he stopped teaching at the university. apparently not if this student's recollection is correct. |
| Posted by: 2b 2005-11-11 01:53 |