INDONESIAN POLICE KILL, CAPTURE TERRORISTS, BUT

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 005485 SIPDIS SIPDIS TERREP DEPT FOR EAP/MTS, S/CT, DS/IP/EAP, DS/DSS/ITA, DS/CC DOJ FOR CTS THORNTON, AAG SWARTZ FBI FOR ETTIU/SSA ROTH E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/01/2016 TAGS: PTER PREL PGOV KJUS KISL KVPR ASEC AS ID SUBJECT: INDONESIAN POLICE KILL, CAPTURE TERRORISTS, BUT NOORDIN M. TOP ESCAPES AGAIN REF: A. 05 JAKARTA 14789 AZAHARI KILLED IN POLICE RAID ¶B. 05 JAKARTA 15139 BALI INVESTIGATION FINALLY GAINS MOMENTUM Classified By: Political Officer Tim Hefner For Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) Summary -------------- ¶1. (C) On April 29, Indonesian anti-terrorism police killed two terrorists and captured a third in a pre-dawn raid in Central Java in their continuing hunt for terrorist mastermind and recruiter Noordin M. Top. The manhunt then led to the arrest of a second terrorist suspect and the discovery of fully-assembled bombs like those used in the October 2005 Bali bombings as well as other bomb-related materials. Police continue their search for Top, who they suspect remains in Central Java. DS/ATA training played an important role in another CT success for Indonesia. End Summary. Det-88 Strikes Again, Noordin M. Top Remains Free -------------- -------------- ¶2. (C) On April 29, Indonesian National Police (INP) led by two DS/ATA-trained Detachment-88 Crisis Response Teams from Jakarta and Central Sulawesi raided a safehouse in Binangun village, Wonosobo, Central Java, in the search for Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) terrorist mastermind and recruiter Noordin M. Top. Gunfire ensued, and the pre-dawn operation resulted in the killing of two known terrorists and the arrest of another who was wounded in the raid. INP Chief Sutanto traveled to the site later in the day and publicly confirmed that police did not find Top in the house. Australian Federal Police units supported the Det-88-led operation primarily with analytic and technical expertise. More Bombs Found -------------- ¶3. (C) An INP spokesperson publicly stated that police officials are convinced Top remains in Central Java, and the INP has mounted a wide-spread search across the region with road blocks and vehicle searches. In the town of Temanggung, the INP arrested a second terrorist suspect and discovered a fully-assembled backpack bomb like the types used in Bali in October 2005 (ref A). Police also found two Tupperware bomb not yet fully-assembled, bomb-making instructions, a computer and printer with five forged Indonesian national identify cards, and six cellular phones. They did not uncover any information on future planned attacks. INP forensics labs have begun processing the evidence. ¶4. (C) INP JI Task Force, or "Team Bomb," members on the scene of the initial raid told us the atmosphere was more melancholy than celebratory despite the elimination of four more terrorists. Indonesian President Yudhoyono publicly praised the INP's efforts and said they must continue their operations. Two Killed, Two Arrested -------------- ¶5. (U) The INP has identified the deceased as Jabir (alias Mujabir alias Budi Anggoro alias Gempur Budi Angkoro alias Nanang) and Abdul Hadi (alias Bambang alias Baharudin Saleh/Soleh) and the arrestees as Salahuddin/Solahudin (alias Sollahudin al Ayubi alias Sukri alias Dani alias Wawan alias Agung) and Muhtafirin (possible alias Maktu Qirin). Initial media reports suggested the INP cornered five men in the house, but thus far, no information on a fifth person has come to light. ¶6. (C) Jabir, a close associate of Top and Azahari and a relative of terrorist Fathurrahman al-Ghozi, killed by Philippine police after escaping from prison, helped construct the bombs used in the terrorist attacks on the J.W. Marriott Hotel and the Australian Embassy in 2003 and 2004 respectively. Jabir may also have been the recruiter of Salik Firdaus, the suicide bomber of Caf Nyoman in Jimbaran, JAKARTA 00005485 002 OF 002 Bali (ref B),and a graduate of Abu Bakar Ba'asyir's Ngruki pesantran in Solo, Central Java. Abdul Hadi, another suspected bomb-maker, narrated a JI video discovered in the November raid of another safehouse, which resulted in the killing of Azahari Bin Husin (ref A). Hadi may have assisted with the indoctrination of Heri Golun, the suicide bomber of the Australian Embassy, and with the 2005 Bali bombers. ¶7. (C) Police suspect Salahuddin of participation in the 2000 New Year's Eve church bombings and the 2001 Atrium Mall explosion. Salahuddin is the younger brother of Abdul Jabar, convicted to 20-years in prison for his role in the assassination attempt of the Philippine Ambassador to Indonesia in 2000, and Farihin Ibu Ahmad, convicted for his violent activities as a member of Laskar Jihad in the conflict in Poso, Central Sulawesi. Their father, Ahmad Kandai, was closely linked with Darul Islam's 1957 assassination attempt of then-President Soekarno. The INP believes Muhtafirin served as a courier for Azahari and Top, and they have begun interrogations of these two in separate locations in Jakarta. Comment -------------- ¶8. (C) Despite their failure to capture Top, the INP continues to make progress in its CT operations and to remove JI members from the field. DS/ATA training and AFP support has enabled another successful operation. The associations of the four terrorists killed and captured provide another look at the importance of familial and scholastic relationships within these terrorism networks. PASCOE