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