TRIALS KICK OFF FOR JI-LINKED MILITANTS FROM POSO

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 JAKARTA 002346 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, S/CT, INL FOR BOULDIN DOJ FOR CRIM AAG SWARTZ, DOJ/OPDAT FOR LEHMANN/ALEXANDRE/BERMAN DOJ/CTS FOR MULLANEY, ST HILAIRE FBI FOR ETTUI/SSA ROTH NCTC WASHDC E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/26/2017 TAGS: PTER PGOV KJUS ASEC CASC ID SUBJECT: TRIALS KICK OFF FOR JI-LINKED MILITANTS FROM POSO REF: A. JAKARTA 2101 ¶B. JAKARTA 826 ¶C. JAKARTA 194 Classified By: Pol/C Joseph Legend Novak for reasons 1.4(b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Summary: Trials of nine alleged JI-linked terrorists from Poso, Central Sulawesi, have begun. The accused have been indicted for several Poso-area attacks, including: the bombing of a market; the beheading of three schoolgirls; and the assassination of two pastors. All nine suspects face charges which could carry the death penalty. The USG-supported Attorney General's Task Force on Terrorism is prosecuting the cases in solid fashion. End Summary. JI Links -------------- ¶2. (SBU) The trials of nine suspected terrorists from Poso in Central Sulawesi recently kicked off in Jakarta. Information on the nine men is contained in para 8. The men were arrested by Indonesia's key anti-terror police unit, Special Detachment-88 (SD-88),in the wake of a deadly confrontation between police and Laskar Mujahiddin militants in Gebang Rejo Subdistrict, Poso City, in January (ref C). The suspects are connected to Jemaah Islamiyah's (JI) "Tanah Runtuh" cell. The leader of the group, Hasanuddin (one name only),is now serving a 20-year sentence for his role in the 2005 schoolgirl beheadings (ref B). ¶3. (SBU) The accused have been indicted for involvement in several Poso area attacks, including: -- the bombing of markets in Tentena and Palu in 2005; -- the beheading of three Christian schoolgirls in October 2005; and, -- the assassinations in 2004 and 2006 of two Christian pastors. Trial Venue Moved -------------- ¶4. (C) As with previous cases involving violence in Poso (ref A),the trials were moved to Jakarta both for security reasons and to avoid inflaming passions in Poso, a religiously mixed area. This creates difficulties for prosecutors, as witnesses must be flown from Sulawesi to testify. According to our court monitor (please protect), SD-88 expects to be able to fund the travel of approximately 20 Poso witnesses. SD-88 officials reportedly would bring as many as 50 witnesses if funding were available. The Charges -------------- ¶5. (C) The AGO's Task Force on Terrorism and Transnational Crime is coordinating the trials. The nine defendants are charged with multiple violations of the 2003 Anti-terror Law, including: article 15 (conspiracy to commit terrorism); articles 6 and 7 (committing terrorist acts); and article 9 (possession of weapons with intent to commit terrorism). Articles 6 and 9 both carry a maximum penalty of death if there is a conviction. According to our court monitor, prosecutors may seek the death penalty for two of the accused if there are convictions, but not for the other seven. ¶6. (C) The suspects are being defended by members of the Muslim Defense Team (TPM),a group which often represents extremists. In past trials, the TPM has almost always filed a formal objection to the charges (a process known as "exception"),claiming that the Anti-terror Law is unique and that SD-88 is an agent of foreign powers. In the current cases, however, the TPM have not employed this tactic. According to our court monitor, this may indicate that the TPM will not substantially dispute the facts of the cases. AGO Effective -------------- JAKARTA 00002346 002 OF 003 ¶7. (C) There have been some minor disagreements between police and prosecutors over how to proceed with the trials, especially whether to try all suspects together or to break them up. The AGO ultimately decided to try seven of the nine individually and two other suspects together. Our overall impression is that the AGO is doing a solid job in coordination. The trials are being watched closely in Central Sulawesi and are important with respect to bringing terrorists to justice for some particularly brutal crimes. The Suspects -------------- ¶8. (SBU) The nine suspects are as follows (all cited articles are from the 2003 Anti-terror Law): -- Mohamad Basri aka "Ayas" aka "Bagong" DOB: 10 August 1976 POB: Poso, Central Sulawesi Charges: article 15 in conjunction with articles 6, 7 and 9 Activities: Basri's indictment puts him at the center of several attacks, including the October 2005 schoolgirl beheadings, the assassination of Rev. Susiyanti Tinulele in 2004, the shootings of two women in November 2005 and the Senter bombing of September 2006 that killed one. He is also charged with wielding firearms against police during the January 22, 2007, raid on Gebang Rejo. -- Abdul Muis DOB: 21 November 1982 POB: Palu, Central Sulawesi Charges: articles 6, 7 and 9 Activities: Muis allegedly assisted Icang (deceased) in the construction and delivery of a bomb which killed six and injured 39 in a market in Palu, Central Sulawesi, on December 31, 2005. He is also charged with the assassination of Rev. Iriyanto Kongkoli in October 2006. -- Agus Nur Muhammad aka "Agus Jenggot" DOB: 11 December 1978 POB: Poso, Central Sulawesi Charges: article 15 in conjunction with articles 6, 7 and 9 Activities: Muhammad allegedly decapitated one of the three victims in the Christian schoolgirl beheadings of October ¶2005. He is also charged with wielding firearms against police during the January 22, 2007, raid on Gebang Rejo. -- Amril Ngiode aka "Aat" aka "Moket" DOB: 22 October 1978 POB: Poso, Central Sulawesi Charges: article 15 in conjunction with articles 6 and 9 Activities: Ngiode allegedly was part of the group, along with Ardin Djanatu, Irwanto Irano and Syaiful Anam (all in custody),that constructed and delivered a bomb to a local pork market in Tentena, Central Sulawesi, on May 28, 2005. The explosion killed 22 and injured 91. He is also charged with wielding firearms against police during the January 22, 2007, raid on Gebang Rejo. -- Ardin Djanatu aka "Rojak" DOB: 15 June 1970 POB: Poso, Central Sulawesi Charges: article 15 in conjunction with articles 6, 7 and 9 Activities: Djanatu was allegedly part of the group that built and delivered the bomb that killed 22 people in a pork market in Tentena, Central Sulawesi, on May 28, 2005. He is implicated in the shooting of two women on November 8, 2005. He is also charged with wielding firearms against police during the January 22, 2007, raid on Gebang Rejo. -- Rahman Kalahe aka "Wiwin" aka "Tomo" DOB: 11 February 1986 POB: Poso, Central Sulawesi Charges: article 15 in conjunction with article 6 Activities: Kalahe allegedly participated in the beheadings of the three Christian schoolgirls in October 2005 and in the shooting of two women on November 8, 2005. He is being tried together with Yudi Heranto Parsan (below). JAKARTA 00002346 003 OF 003 -- Ridwan aka "Duan" aka "Iwan" DOB: 2 January 1987 POB: Poso, Central Sulawesi Charges: article 15 in conjunction with articles 6, 7 and 9 Activities: Ridwan is charged with involvement in a bombing attack which killed one person in September 2006. He is also charged with wielding firearms against police during the January 22, 2007, raid on Gebang Rejo. -- Tugiran aka "Iran" DOB: 12 October 1983 POB: Poso, Central Sulawesi Charges: article 15 in conjunction with articles 6, 7 and 9 Activities: Tugiran is charged with involvement in the Senter bombing of September 2006 that killed one. He is also charged with wielding firearms against police during the January 22, 2007, raid on Gebang Rejo. -- Yudi Heranto Parsan aka "Udit" DOB: 26 July 1977 POB: Poso, Central Sulawesi Charges: article 15 in conjunction with articles 7 and 9 Activities: Parsan is charged in the shooting of two women on November 8, 2005. He is also charged with wielding firearms against police during the January 22, 2007, raid on Gebang Rejo. HUME