COUNTERTERRORISM UPDATE -- GOI KEEPS UP THE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 001690 SIPDIS DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS, EAP/RSP, S/CT, DS/IP/EAP, DS/TIA/ITA NSC FOR J.BADER, D.WALTON DS FOR COMMAND CENTER, FRONT OFFICE KUALA ALMPUR FOR G.CHAPMAN E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/06/2019 TAGS: PGOV PREL PTER ASEC ID SUBJECT: COUNTERTERRORISM UPDATE -- GOI KEEPS UP THE PRESSURE; TERRORISTS BURIED; ROBUST USG-GOI COOPERATION REF: JAKARTA 1605 AND PREVIOUS Classified By: Pol/C Joseph L. Novak, reasons 1.4(b+d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: In this counterterrorism update: a well-known terrorist suspect has surrendered to authorities in Central Java as the Indonesian government maintains its high operational tempo in response to the July 17 Jakarta bombings. In the meantime, the GOI has provided the remains of terrorist leader Noordin M. Top to Malaysian authorities. The three Indonesian terrorists killed with Top in the September 16-17 police operation in Central Java have been buried in their home villages despite protests from locals. Pol/C reviewed key security issues with officials during a recent visit to East Kalimantan. Mission also continues to work closely with the GOI on counter-terror training. END SUMMARY. GOI MAINTAINS HIGH OPERATIONAL TEMPO ¶2. (C) A key terrorist suspect has surrendered to authorities. In an October 7 meeting with Pol/C, Astari Daenuwy, an international affairs adviser to President Yudhoyono, confirmed press reports that suspect Aris Makruf surrendered to authorities on October 2 near his home in Temanggung, Central Java. (Note: Temanggung was the site of the August 7-8 raid on a terrorist safe-house in which Indonesian police killed three terrorists, including former florist "Ibrohim," who facilitated the entry of a suicide bomber into Jakarta's J.W.Marriott on July 17.) ¶3. (C) Aris is well-known to authorities and has had a place on Indonesia's "Most Wanted" list for years. Police have been on the hunt for him since the discovery of two bombs in his home earlier this decade and for his alleged harboring of two of the September 2004 Australian Embassy bombers. After his surrender, Temanggung village police handed Aris over to the Central Java Police. The Central Java Police Commander said Aris surrendered "out of fear for his life" after the police operation that killed Noordin M. Top in mid-September. Aris is said to be cooperating with the INP special anti-terrorism unit, Detachment 88. ¶4. (C) The GOI is not relaxing its anti-terror effort despite eliminating chief target Top and neutralizing other key figures like Aris. Daenuwy of the Presidential Palace told Pol/C that President Yudhoyono is busy with many items, including the aftermath of the September 30 West Sumatra earthquake and choosing his new Cabinet. That said, she related that Yudhoyono continues to meet weekly in large sessions with key officials and police to discuss counter-terror operations. She said Yudhoyono uses these meetings to underscore the need for a continued crackdown on extremists and for the GOI not "to relax or relent." NOORDIN TOP'S REMAINS TRANSFERRED TO MALAYSIA ¶5. (SBU) In the meantime, authorities transferred Noordin M. Top's remains to Malaysia authorities and his family on October 2 for interment. One brother, Yahya Mohammad Top, accompanied his sister-in-law (Top's Malaysian wife Siti Rahma) from Malaysia to Jakarta on October 1 to claim Top's remains. (Note: Top also had at least two Indonesian wives.) Yahya spoke at a press conference held by the Indonesian police and apologized "to all people who were offended" by his brother's actions and asked "for forgiveness, particularly from the Indonesian people whose lives were torn apart by all the wrongdoings my brother carried out." ¶6. (SBU) Three Indonesian associates of Top's have also been buried. Hundreds of police officers monitored the burial of terrorist Hadi Susilo, alias Adib, who was buried on October 2 in his hometown of Solo, Central Java. The early-morning burial was timed by police to avoid further conflict after the September 23-24 protests against burials of the terrorists by Central Javanese villagers. Members of the militant Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) and the Indonesian JAKARTA 00001690 002 OF 002 Jihadi Front reportedly attended the funeral. Bagus Budi Pranoto, known as Urwah, was also buried on October 2 in Kudus region near Semarang, Central Java. Terrorist Ario Sudarso, also known as Aji, also killed during the September 16-17 police operation in Solo, was also buried, but it is not clear where. Abu Bakar Ba'asyir--co-founder of the terrorist Jemmah Islamiyah--group did not attend any of the funerals despite reports that he planned to. URGING VIGILANCE IN EAST KALIMANTAN ¶7. (C) During a recent visit to East Kalimantan Province in Indonesian Borneo, Pol/C urged officials to maintain vigilance re terrorism. Pol/C noted to Acting Governor H. Irianto Lambrie and Provincial Police Chief M. Salempang the danger of possible terrorist transit into and out of East Kalimantan via neighboring Malaysia and onwards to the Philippines. Pol/C remarked that vigilance was also important due to the large amount of expatriates, including AmCits, living in the region and working in the energy and mining sectors. ¶8. (C) The officials underlined that they are aware of the dangers and continue to focus on them. They noted that they maintain close links with Malaysian authorities based in Sabah state through Indonesian consular offices in Kota Kinabalu and Tawau. They added that they appreciated the USG gift of patrol boats which have helped them strengthen their ability to monitor sea lanes, including near the coastal town of Tarakan (in the past, Tarakan has been used by terrorists for transit purposes). ROBUST USG COOPERATION WITH GOI ¶9. (SBU) The USG continues to work with the GOI closely on counterterrorism cooperation. Key training elements at this time include: -- DS/ATA and INP Detachment 88 trainers are conducting Crisis Response Team training September 28-November 6 at the principal DS/ATA training site in Megamendung (25 miles south of Jakarta); -- This week, DS/ATA is also conducting a tri-border cyber security conference in Nusu Dua, Bali, October 6-8 for law enforcement and other officials from Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines. Charge will be present at this conference and giving remarks; -- On October 14-15, an estimated 200 participants from the Jakarta International Hotel Association, the Overseas Security Advisory Council, American Chamber of Commerce, and various embassies are expected to attend a DS/ATA hotel security workshop at the Ritz Carlton hotel in Jakarta; and, -- In November, DS/ATA will conduct training for preventing attacks against soft targets October 19-30 at the J.W.Marriott Hotel in Jakarta. ¶10. (SBU) Mission is also working with S/CT to obtain funding for a three-day counterterrorism training module. This is in response to a GOI request for specific training on the USG counterterrorism system--specifically, threat perception, organization, and response. The training would be held in December 2009 for an estimated 20 senior-level GOI officials at the joint Indonesian-Australian Jakarta Center for Law Enforcement Cooperation (JCLEC) located in Semarang, Central Java. Mission appreciates the quick response from S/CT to the GOI request, and looks forward to further S/CT assistance and updates regarding the status of the pending Congressional Notification. OSIUS