He was been dubbed the region's Osama bin Laden but he's the terrorist no one wants to talk about. When the 44-year-old Hambali was arrested in August 2003, US President George W. Bush described him as one of the world's most lethal terrorists and Prime Minister John Howard proclaimed his capture as a huge blow against terrorism. Now, though, it's impossible to get the authorities to say anything about the Indonesian-born man who went by the name Riduan Isamuddin and is allegedly one of the masterminds behind the Bali bombings and a string of attacks across Southeast Asia. While his Bali bombing compatriots Dulmatin and Umar Patek are being hunted on the Philippines island Mindanao, Hambali remains hidden in a secret prison known only to a few CIA operatives. No one else knows where he is being held.
All requests from other nations to interview the man named as the linchpin between bin Laden's al-Qa'ida and the Southeast Asian-based terror group Jemaah Islamiah have been refused by the US Government despite assurances three years ago by former US deputy secretary of state Richard Armitage that Australia would be given access to the captured terrorist mastermind. Nor will the US even comment about when, or if, he will be brought to trial.
Howard's office has similarly refused to comment. But during a recent trip to Indonesia, Howard was questioned as to whether Indonesian politicians had asked for Australia's help to get access to Hambali. The Prime Minister said it had not, "to my recollection, been raised with Australia by Indonesia, so if it were raised then I would think about it". |