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| Southeast Asia |
| Top's capture is only a matter of time |
| 2006-01-22 |
| INDONESIAN police are closing in on one of Asia's most wanted terrorists, Bali bombing mastermind Noordin Mohammed Top, after arresting two of his key henchmen in a swoop on a network of Jemaah Islamiah militants. Counter-terrorism officers have closed the net around Top, one of the most senior members of the al-Qaeda-linked JI, since the death late last year of his Malaysian compatriot Azahari bin Husin. Terror expert Sidney Jones, of the International Crisis Group, said the arrests in the past week appeared to flow from the testimony of "Wiwid", a JI member detained after the November shootout that killed Azahari, suspected of making the bombs for a string of deadly blasts in Bali and Jakarta. "I think this suicide brigade is being rounded up ... it's a matter of time before they get Noordin," Ms Jones said. "But a decimated brigade doesn't mean the end of possible attacks, especially when suicide bombers are in the mix." Indonesian police are interrogating 35-year-old Subur Sugiarto, alias Abu Mujahid, and 25-year-old Joko Wibowo, alias Abu Sayap, who were arrested last week and are believed to be closely linked to Top. Indonesian police sources said Sugiarto and Wibowo were considered to be among the most trusted accomplices of Top, who narrowly escaped a police dragnet shortly after Azahari's death in November. Australian Federal Police officers said last night they were aware of reports of the arrests. But a spokeswoman said it would be inappropriate to comment because it was a matter for the Indonesian National Police. Indonesian police have arrested eight men across Java in the past week on suspicion of involvement with JI. A separate raid in southeast Sulawesi resulted in the seizure of more than four tonnes of the bomb-making chemical ammonium nitrate. It is not known if the chemicals were intended for terrorist activities. Sugiarto, a teacher of Islam, is believed to have encouraged the three suicide bombers who blew up restaurants in Bali last October, killing 23 people, including four Australians. Members of the Indonesian elite anti-terror unit Special Detachment 88, together with local police, grabbed Sugiarto last week after he boarded a bus in the central Javanese town of Boyolali, bound for Jakarta. Police had already raided his home late last year in the hunt for those responsible for the bombings at the Bali tourist spots of Jimbaran Bay and Kuta. During the raid, police found bomb-making manuals, terrorism-related documents and bullets, including those for a pistol and an M-16, and subsequently added Sugiarto's name to a list of wanted terror suspects. Sugiarto, who is also a martial arts practitioner with military training, is believed to have been trained in bomb-making by Azahari. Wibowo was arrested in the central Java town of Karanganyar. Family members told reporters police had confiscated books in a subsequent home raid. The pair's arrests follow arrests in the central Java towns of Semarang and Klaten of men also accused of helping Top evade police capture. Another man said to have been close to Sugiarto, Ibnu Parmong, was also arrested in Semarang. The mathematics teacher was accused of regularly lending his motorbike to Sugiarto and Top. Indonesian police said yesterday they were investigating the links between the detained men and a series of armed robberies. It has been reported that two of the men have confessed to taking part in the robbery of a jewellery store and police are now investigating whether the robbery was committed to underwrite terror activities. The link between the robberies and JI was made after a treasure trove of documents found in Azahari's hideout revealed that the terrorists involved in the first Bali bombings in 2002 had robbed banks and jewellery stores to finance the attacks. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |