MEDIA REPORTS ABOUT ALLEGED PLANS OF TERRORIST

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 001458 SIPDIS DEPT FOR CA/OCS, DS/IP/EAP, DS/ITA/EAP, EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS, S/CT, INL FOR BARCLAY/BOULDIN/BUHLER DOJ FOR CRIM AAG SWARTZ, DOJ/OPDAT FOR LEHMANN/ALEXANDRE/BERMAN DOJ/CTS FOR MULLANEY, ST HILAIRE FBI FOR ETTUI/SSA SOLOMON NCTC WASHDC NSC FOR E.PHU E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/29/2018 TAGS: PGOV ASEC KJUS PTER ID SUBJECT: MEDIA REPORTS ABOUT ALLEGED PLANS OF TERRORIST SUSPECTS REF: A. JAKARTA 1415 ¶B. JAKARTA 1335 Classified By: Pol/C Joseph L. Novak, reasons 1.4(b+d). ¶1. (U) This message was coordinated with Consulate Medan. ¶2. (C) SUMMARY: On July 29, international and local media reported that recently arrested terrorist suspects had murdered an Indonesian Christian, intended to target a U.S. national, and planned to attack the Indonesian Supreme Court. The GOI and Mission cannot confirm the substance of the press reports. It is possible that dribs and drabs of information are emerging as the suspects are interrogated by the police, but there is no confirmation of that. END SUMMARY. ¶3. (C) MEDIA REPORTS: July 29th press reports stated that an unnamed Indonesian "anti-terrorism officer" and a lawyer for the terrorist suspects had briefed the press regarding the planned activities of a cell of suspected terrorists. Indonesian police had arrested the 10 suspects--linked to the terrorist group Jemmah Islamiyah (JI)--on July 2 in the Palembang region of South Sumatra (see reftels). (Note: The police had surveilled the suspects for over one year. During the operation, the police recovered numerous Improvised Explosive Devices, IED's.) Police transported the suspects to a Jakarta jail after the arrests. The GOI has not charged the suspects yet. Police are reportedly interrogating them before formal charges are brought. ¶4. (U) Without much by way of further information, the press reports stated that the suspects had: -- Murdered an Indonesian Christian in Sumatra. And: -- Had plans to target a U.S. national named "Samuel" who was a teacher living in Sumatra. -- Had plans to bomb the Indonesian Supreme Court building in central Jakarta. This attack was to be in retribution for the convictions of the Bali bombers who are now on death row. -- Had plans to disrupt joint Singaporean-Indonesian military exercises. (Note: Other press reports have asserted that the suspects planned to attack other sites in Sumatra and in Jakarta.) ¶5. (C) NO CONFIRMATION: Mission has touched base with key GOI contacts and they cannot confirm the press reports. In a July 29 discussion with DepPol/C, Dharmawan Ronodipuro, Deputy at the Counter Terrorism Desk of the Coordinating Ministry for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs, was unable to confirm the media reports or identify their source. He said he was also looking into the media reports but had no further information. ¶6. (C) AMCIT INVOLVED?: Mission also has no further information about the possibility of the suspects targeting an AmCit. Mission sources have confirmed that a Fulbright English-language teaching assistant with the first name of JAKARTA 00001458 002 OF 002 "Samuel" was assigned to Sekayu, Sumatra, until May of this year (he has since left Indonesia). Mission knows of no other American fitting the description of the purported target more closely than that. Sekayu was the site of the initial arrest (of Singaporean national Muhamed Hassan) that led to the police operation. Mission does not have any information that this AmCit was the one that the suspects were purportedly targeting, but we are checking further with the Indonesian authorities. ¶7. (C) As mentioned, police are now reportedly interrogating the suspects. It is possible that dribs and drabs of information are emerging (via news leaks, etc.) as the suspects are interrogated, but there is no confirmation of that. HUME