COUNTERTERRORISM -- SIX CONVICTED FOR ATTACKS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 003312 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS, S/CT, INL FOR BOULDIN DOJ FOR CRIM AAG SWARTZ, DOJ/OPDAT FOR LEHMANN/ALEXANDRE DOJ/CTS FOR MULLANEY, ST HILAIRE FBI FOR ETTUI/SSA ROTH NCTC WASHDC NSC FOR EPHU E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/04/2017 TAGS: PGOV KJUS ASEC PTER ID SUBJECT: COUNTERTERRORISM -- SIX CONVICTED FOR ATTACKS REF: A. JAKARTA 3109 ¶B. JAKARTA 2852 ¶C. JAKARTA 2346 ¶D. JAKARTA 826 ¶E. JAKARTA 194 ¶F. 06 JAKARTA 11889 ¶G. SURABAYA 39 Classified By: Pol/C Joseph Legend Novak, reasons 1.4 b-d. ¶1. (U) This message was coordinated with Consulate General Surabaya. ¶2. (C) SUMMARY: Prosecutors have won convictions against six terrorists for a series of attacks in 2005-06. Verdicts in three other terrorist-related trials are expected soon. The Supreme Court has also upheld the convictions of four terrorists linked to the 2005 Bali bombings. Trials continue for alleged operatives of a Java-based terror cell. Several terrorists convicted of attacks have been released from prison after completing their sentences. The news about the convictions is positive, indicating that the GOI continues to work hard to lock up terrorists. END SUMMARY. CONVICTIONS ¶3. (SBU) There is good news on the counter-terrorist front. A Jakarta court convicted six men of terrorism for their roles in a series of deadly attacks in Poso and Palu, Central Sulawesi. The men were members of the "Tanah Runtuh" group, a Poso-based terror cell led by Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) operative Hasanuddin (one name only),currently serving a 20-year sentence (ref D). 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 Poso in January (ref E). ¶4. (SBU) The six men were all convicted under Indonesia's 2003 Anti-Terror law. Wiwin Kalahe, a member of the group that beheaded three Christian schoolgirls in 2005, received a 19 year sentence, while co-conspirator Agus Nur Mohammad received 14. Abdul Muis earned 18 years for a deadly 2005 bomb attack and the 2006 murder of a Christian minister. Two men who helped plant a bomb that killed 22 people in Tentena, Sulawesi, in May 2005. Syaiful Anam aka "Brekele" and Amril Ngiode were sentenced to 18 years and 15 years for this crime respectively. Yudi Heryanto Parson received 10 years 3 
months for the shooting of two schoolgirls in 2005. Trials of three other Poso suspects--Mohammad Basri, Tugiran and Ridwan--are expected to conclude within the next week. ¶5. (C) The sentences given by the court were consistent with previous cases. Prosecutors from the Attorney General's Office Terrorism and Transnational Crime Task Force had asked for 20 years for each suspect, which the court reduced by up to 1/3 in accordance with standard Indonesian practice. The only exception was Parson, who played a minor role in the Tentena bombing but was only subsequently charged with the schoolgirl shootings. According to CT expert Sydney Jones (Amcit -- please protect),police requested leniency for Parson because he turned himself in voluntarily and cooperated during detention. ¶6. (C) According to Mission's court monitor (please strictly protect),the prosecutors handled the cases well, working closely with SD-88 to make sure the necessary witnesses were brought in from Central Sulawesi. The defense team consisted of Sulawesi-based members of the Muslim Defense Team (TPM) led by Ashludin Hatjani. According to the court monitor, the defense team was disorganized and not always prepared for trial. Since the defendants all confessed their roles in the attacks, the defense instead focused their arguments on the alleged reasons behind the attacks: a sense of outrage over attacks by Christians against Poso's Muslim community during the communal violence of 1999-2001, and anger over the failure of police to bring many of the perpetrators to JAKARTA 00003312 002 OF 002 justice. CONVICTIONS UPHELD ¶7. (U) Separately, Indonesia's Supreme Court upheld the convictions and sentences of four terrorists linked to the 2005 Bali bombings that killed 22 people (ref F). Sentences for JI recruiter Subur Sugiyarto (life),Joko Suroso (10 years),Sri Puji and Aditya Triyoga (6 years each) were upheld by the Court on final appeal. (Note: A date for the execution of the perpetrators of the 2002 Bali bombings has still not been announced publicly.) JI NETWORK ¶8. (C) Trials of six defendants linked to JI's "military" wing remain underway in Jakarta (ref B). The six were arrested in a series of raids in Central and East Java in March. According to our court monitor, prosecutors and SD-88 have had difficulty bringing in several witnesses from Central Java, in part due to lack of travel funds. As a result, prosecutors are relying more heavily on the testimony of other suspects, who have generally been forthcoming about the activities of their colleagues. ¶9. (C) Several of the suspects testified in court that JI militant Abu Dujana personally authorized various weapons transfers, both within Java as well as from Java to Sulawesi. These materials were likely used by some of the recently convicted Sulawesi terrorists (see above). Reputed JI acting "Amir" Zarkasih testified in several of the trials but refused to give concrete testimony regarding the organization or the activities of the other suspects. Dujana and Zarkasih are expected to be brought to trial later this month. RELEASES ¶10. (C) Five men convicted of involvement in two bombings in Makassar, South Sulawesi, in 2002 have been released from prison, according to Sydney Jones. The convicted men--Haerul, Lukman Husain, Muchtar Daeng Lau, Muhammad Tang, and Supriyadi--reportedly completed their seven year sentences, minus annual remissions for good behavior. According to Jones, Lau--an Afghan veteran who led a radical study group while in jail--is likely to become a leader in Makassar radical circles. Lau also has ties to Aziz Kahar Muzzakar, head of the Committee to Uphold Islamic Law (KPSI) in Makassar (ref G). The son of a former commander of Darul Islam (a militant group which fought the government until its defeat in the early 1960s),Muzzakar is a member of the South Sulawesi Regional Parliament (DPD) and recently won 21% of the vote in a failed bid to become governor of the province. POSITIVE NEWS ¶11. (C) The news about the convictions is positive, indicating that the GOI continues to work hard to lock up terrorists. While some foreign observers may view the sentences as lenient given the shocking nature of the crimes--the schoolgirl beheadings were brutal beyond belief--most Indonesians will view the punishment as sufficient. Reaction to the convictions has largely been mute: JI has few friends in Indonesia and the government's anti-terror efforts maintain broad public support. HUME