Amid fears that Indonesia's most wanted terrorist will strike again, some police have a new theory: Noordin Top is using hypnotism to elude capture and recruit more suicide bombers. The senior Jemaah Islamiyah operative - blamed for both Bali bombings and a series of other attacks - has time and again escaped the clutches of the law during the past three years. Two weeks ago he slipped through another dragnet, even though counter-terror officers shot dead Azahari Husin, Noordin's bombmaker partner. Among the few things left behind by Noordin was a video in which he specifically warned Australia that his band of Islamic extremists would strike again. In Azahari's hideout police found plans for a "bom pesta" - or bomb party - this Christmas, with several churches and shopping malls earmarked for attack.
As fears rise, reports say some police in notoriously superstitious Indonesia believe Noordin may have the ability to hypnotise people, using his mental powers to escape his pursuers and recruit more bombers. "A village chief fell unconscious after kissing the hand of a man resembling Noordin," one policeman said. The magazine said the chief's mind went blank "like he was hypnotised" after meeting a "tabib", or traditional healer, who looked like Noordin. One officer said police believed even a skilled religious preacher would have difficulty finding so many followers willing to kill themselves for a cause. Belief in the supernatural is widespread in Indonesia. Crime is sometimes blamed on tricksters with magical powers and people regularly take their problems to fortune-tellers and witchdoctors. Against this social background, one policeman told Tempo that JI used "unconventional recruitment techniques" to boost its ranks. Investigators believe Noordin is an expert at disguise.
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