TRIALS OF THREE ALLEGED TERRORISTS BEGIN IN JAKARTA

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 001986 SIPDIS DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS, S/CT, INL FOR BARCLAY/ROESS/BUHLER DOJ FOR CRIM AAG SWARTZ, DOJ/OPDAT FOR LEHMANN/ALEXANDRE/BERMAN DOJ/CTS FOR MULLANEY, ST HILAIRE FBI FOR ETTUI/SSA ROTH NCTC WASHDC NSC FOR E.PHU E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/28/2018 TAGS: PGOV PREL PTER ASEC ID SUBJECT: TRIALS OF THREE ALLEGED TERRORISTS BEGIN IN JAKARTA REF: A. JAKARTA 1335 ¶B. JAKARTA 770 ¶C. 07 JAKARTA 3426 JAKARTA 00001986 001.2 OF 002 Classified By: Pol/C Joseph L. Novak, reasons 1.4(b+d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: The trials of three alleged terrorists have begun in Jakarta. The three suspects are linked to Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) and allegedly have experience in the Philippines. One of them allegedly is an associate of Noordin Top, a major JI leader who remains on the run from Indonesian authorities. The three face maximum punishments of 15 years in prison if convicted. The Attorney General's Task Force on Terrorism--which receives USG support--is overseeing the trials. END SUMMARY. TERRORIST TRIALS BEGIN ¶2. (SBU) The GOI has formally charged three suspected terrorists. The suspects are being tried in three separate cases, running concurrently. The trials involve: -- Abdurrahim bin M. Thotib, a suspected senior JI operative; -- Dr. Agus Purwantoro, a suspected senior JI operative and expert bomb-maker; and, -- Parmin aka "Yaser Abdul Baar" ¶3. (C) Thotib and Purwantoro were arrested in Malaysia and handed over to the Indonesian authorities in March 2008 (ref B). They both reportedly have militant experience in the Philippines. Parmin is believed to be an associate of Noordin Top, a major JI leader who remains on the run from authorities. Further GOI-supplied information on the three is contained in para six. KEY TASK FORCE PRESSES CASE ¶4. (SBU) The trials are being held in Central Jakarta District Court. Members of the Attorney General's Task Force on Terrorism and Transnational Crime are leading the prosecutions. Two of the cases are being handled by the same USG-trained prosecutors, Narendra Jatna and Totok Bambang, who successfully tried Abu Dujana, a major JI leader who was convicted on terrorism charges in April 2008. The three suspects ere charged with violating various articles of the 2003 Anti-terrorism Law, including "11" (funding directly or indirectly terrorist activities),"13" (aiding and abetting a terrorist),"15" (conspiracy to commit terrorism),and "22" (obstructing investigations into terrorist activities). The three face maximum punishments of 15 years in prison if convicted. ¶5. (C) The suspects are being defended by members of the Muslim Defense Team (TPM),a legal group which often represents extremists. As in past trials, the TPM attorneys filed a formal objection to the charges (a process known as "exception") on October 20, claiming that the proceedings violated the criminal code, that the central court did not have jurisdiction over the case, and that the case placed an undue burden on the national court. These exceptions mark a departure from previous exceptions filed by the TPM attorneys, which basically claimed that the Anti-terror Law was not constitutional and that SD-88--the GOI's premier anti-terror force--was an agent of "foreign powers." The GOI JAKARTA 00001986 002.2 OF 002 has almost invariably been able to overcome such defenses. MORE DATA ON THE SUSPECTS AND CHARGES ¶6. (C) As provided by the GOI, information about the three defendants follows (all articles refer to the Anti-terrorism Law): -- Abdurrahim bin M. Thotib aka "Hasan" aka "Abu Husna" aka "Abu Umar" aka "Oktariadi Anis" Charges: articles "13" and "22" Activities: associating with and taking orders from Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) leader Abdullah Sungkar in 1993; participating in militant exercises in the Phillippines in 1999; participating in JI and Majelis Mujahidin Indonesia (MMI) meetings; organized meetings "between Zarkasih and Hasanudin" in order to convey information about Poso activities, and attended meetings between Abu Dujana and Dr. Agus; knew Zarkasih, Abu Dujana and Hasanudin were wanted by the police, falsified passports for illicit purposes, and was arrested for traveling on a falsified passport. --Dr. Agus Purwantoro aka "Deddy Achmadi Machdan" aka "Tri Sutanto" aka "Agus" aka "Idris" aka "Abbas" aka "Sofian" Charges: articles "11," "13," "15," and "22" Activities: associating with and taking orders from Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) leader Abdullah Sungkar in 1993; participating in militant exercises in Mindanao, Phillippines in 1999; engaging in militant activities in Poso, central Sulawesi; receiving stolen gold from Hasanudin in Poso; selling and dividing the proceeds from the sale of stolen goods; having advanced knowledge of the three Christian school children killings in Poso, having advanced knowledge of the shooting of the chief of Police in Poso, and facilitating terrorist travel from Poso to Java. --Parmin aka "Yaser Abdul Baar" aka "Aslam" aka "Sastro" aka "Putra Sanjaya" Charges: article "13" Activities: associating with Noordin M Top; agreeing to translate Jihadi texts as a form of Jihad; being present for the planning of New Year's terrorist activities by Dr. Azhahari and Noordin M. Top; meeting with Noordin M. Top and soliciting feedback about the Jihadi literature he translated; witnessing Noordin M. Top's terrorism video; and providing translated materials to Noordin Top. HUME