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