THREE JEMMAAH ISLAMIYAH-LINKED TERRORISTS GET

C O N F I D E N T I A L JAKARTA 000643


DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS, EAP/RSP, S/CT, DS
DOJ FOR CRIM AAG SWARTZ; DOJ/OPDAT FOR ALEXANDRE/BERMAN
NCTC WASH DC; NSC FOR E.PHU

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/08/2019
TAGS: PGOV PREL PTER ASEC ID
SUBJECT: THREE JEMMAAH ISLAMIYAH-LINKED TERRORISTS GET
STIFF SENTENCES

REF: A. JAKARTA 534

B. 08 JAKARTA 1298


Classified By: Pol/C Joseph L. Novak, reasons 1.4(b+d).


1. (C) SUMMARY: A Jakarta Court sentenced three terrorists
to 12 years in prison on April 7. The three were arrested in
a July 2008 raid on a suspected Jemaah Islamiyah (JI)
safehouse located in South Sumatra. A U.S.-supported task
force prosecuted the case. The stiff sentences highlight
Indonesia's continued success in its anti-terror efforts.
END SUMMARY.

THREE TERRORISTS GET 12 YEARS


2. (SBU) Three members of the so called "Palembang"
terrorist cell have received stiff prison sentences. On
April 7, a Jakarta court sentenced the three to 12 years in
jail for violating articles 7 and 15 of the 2003
Anti-Terrorism Law. The three are:

-- Sugiarto (aka Sugicheng aka Raja)
-- Agustiawarman (aka Abu Taskid)
-- Heri Purwanto (aka Abu Hurairoh)


3. (SBU) The three were found guilty of conspiring and
committing acts of terror as part of a cell operating out of
Palembang, South Sumatra, in March (see Ref A). They had
assembled a bomb and planned an attack on a bar frequented by
Westerners in a resort town in western Sumatra.
Agustiawarman and Heri Purwanto were also found guilty of
killing a fellow Indonesian in 2007 (the exact circumstances
of this slaying are not clear, including whether it was
terrorist-related).


4. (SBU) On March 19, the prosecutors had requested the
maximum 15 year sentence (some Jakarta news accounts had
erroneously reported that the men had also been sentenced
that same day). The three were arrested during a July 2008
raid on a suspected JI safehouse in Palembang (ref B) that
netted ten suspected terrorists. The three have been linked
to Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) through their membership in the
extremist "Forum Against Apostasy" or FAKTA group.

RELATED CASES


5. (SBU) In the meantime, trials of the other members of the
Palembang group continue in the South Jakarta District Court.
Prosecutors have requested a 20-year sentence for Fajar
Taslim (aka Muhammad Hasan),who is scheduled to be sentenced
on April 21. Taslim was the most notable of the Palembang
group and had ties to Singaporean JI leader Mas Selamat
Kastari. Prosecutors requested a 14-year sentence for Ali
Mashudi (aka Zuber) and a 15-year sentence for Wahyudi (aka
Yudi). In a separate trial, prosecutors requested 15 years
for Abdurrohman (aka Musa aka Ta'ib aka Ivan) and Ki Agus
Muhammad Toni. Anis Sugandi (aka Abdullah Hussair) and
Sukarso Abdillah (aka Abdurrohman) each face eight- and
seven-year sentences, respectively.

TASK FORCE NETS ANOTHER SUCCESS


6. (C) Members of the U.S.-funded Terrorism and
Transnational Crime Task Force of the Attorney General's
Office (AGO) prosecuted the case. Totok Bambang was the lead
prosecutor in this case. He is one of the senior members of
the Task Force. The Task Force has a perfect record in
convicting terrorists. The latest sentencings highlight
Indonesia's continued success in its anti-terror efforts.


HEFFERN