INDONESIAN TERRORISTS:RECENT RELEASES AND UPCOMING

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 012773 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR S/CT, EAP/MTS DOJ FOR CTS THORNTON FBI FOR ETTUI/SSA ROTH NCTC WASHDC E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/19/2016 TAGS: PTER PREL PGOV KJUS ASEC CASC ID SUBJECT: INDONESIAN TERRORISTS:RECENT RELEASES AND UPCOMING REMISSIONS REF: A. JAKARTA 10400 ¶B. 04 JAKARTA 10611 Classified By: Political Officer Adam West for reasons 1.4(b) and (d). Summary -------------- ¶1. (C) Four years after the 2002 Bali bombing, several individuals convicted of terrorism for their involvement in that attack and the 2003 Marriot bombing are starting to complete their prison terms. According to information obtained from the Australian Embassy, nine convicted terrorists have been or will be released during the month of October. Prominent among this group is Gun Gun Rusman Gunawan, who provided funding for the 2003 Marriot bombing and is the brother of well-known terrorist Hambali. Other convicted terrorists will be among more than 30,000 prisoners expected to receive sentence remissions next week in accordance with Indonesian law. End Summary. Terrorists Released After Completing Prison Terms -------------- -------------- ¶2. (U) Indonesians convicted under the 2003 Anti-terrorism Law for their role in the 2002 Bali attacks as well as the 2003 Marriot bombings are beginning to reach the end of their prison terms. While the central figures in those attacks received lengthy prison terms and even the death penalty in some cases, individuals with more peripheral roles sometimes received sentences as short as 3-5 years. When bi-annual sentence reductions (see below and ref A) are factored in, some terrorists are being released after barely two years in prison. ¶3. (C) Contacts at the Australian Embassy have provided a list of nine convicted terrorists who are either already released or are scheduled to complete their terms during the month of October. Most prominent among those listed is Gun Gun Rusman Gunawan aka Abdul Hadi aka Abdul Karim aka Bukhori. Gunawan was convicted of financing the 2003 Marriot bombing and sentenced to four years in prison (ref B). He is also the brother of Hambali, who is being held by the U.S. as an enemy combatant and was recently transferred to Guantanamo Bay. In contrast to regular local press interest in Hambali, Gunawan's release was done quietly and did not receive any coverage in the Indonesian media. ¶4. (SBU) Other recently released terrorists include: -- Rahmat Puji Prabowo - sentenced to 3 years for his role in the 2002 Bali attacks, released on October 10. -- Usman bin Sef - sentenced to 3 years for his role in the Bali bombing, released on October 11. -- Ishak Mohamed Noohu - A Singaporean terrorist suspect sentenced to 3 years for immigration violations. ¶5. (SBU) Terrorists scheduled to be released next week include: -- Ismail aka Edi - sentenced to 3 years for his role in the Marriot bombing, to be released on October 24. -- Suramto - sentenced to 3 years for his role in the Marriot bombing, to be released on October 24. -- Sirojul Munir bin Achmad Asmui - sentenced to 5 years for his role in the Bali bombing, to be released October 24. -- Mujarod aka Muhamad Rusdi bin Salem - sentenced to 5 years for his role in the Bali bombing, to be released October 24. -- Rahmad bin Amaq Aminah - sentenced to 4 years for his role in a bombing in Morowali, Central Sulawesi in 2003, to be released October 30. Sentence Remissions Forthcoming -------------- JAKARTA 00012773 002 OF 002 ¶6. (C) Aside from those mentioned above, numerous terrorists will be among more than 30,000 prisoners expected to receive routine, legally mandated sentence reductions next week in conjunction with the Idul Fitri holiday marking the end of Ramadan (ref A). The Minister of Law and Human Rights grants remissions to the overwhelming majority of Indonesian inmates each year on August 17 and again on Idul Fitri for Muslims and Christmas for Christians, provided they have demonstrated good behavior. In most cases, the prisoner is granted a remission of between one and six months at these times. Although Governmental Regulation 28 of 2006 will delay remission eligibility to those convicted of designated crimes, including terrorism, the change is not scheduled to take effect until 2007. PASCOE