JAKARTA COURT CONVICTS FOUR MORE JI-LINKED

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 000727 SIPDIS 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: 04/22/2019 TAGS: PGOV PREL PTER ASEC ID SUBJECT: JAKARTA COURT CONVICTS FOUR MORE JI-LINKED TERRORISTS REF: A. JAKARTA 643 ¶B. 08 JAKARTA 1298 AND PREVIOUS Classified By: Pol/C Joseph L. Novak, reasons 1.4(b+d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: In two separate trials, a Jakarta Court has convicted four members of the so-called "Palembang Group" of terrorist-related offenses. The court delivered prison sentences ranging from four to 12 years. The four terrorists were arrested in a July 2008 raid on a suspected Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) safehouse in Palembang, South Sumatra. Those convicted may appeal. The successful prosecutions underscore the GOI's ongoing commitment to combating terrorism. The U.S.-supported Terrorism and Transnational Crime Task Force at the Attorney General's Office (AGO) prosecuted the cases. END SUMMARY. FOUR FOUND GUILTY ¶2. (SBU) On April 21, the South Jakarta District Court handed down 12 year sentences to Abdurrohman (aka Musa aka Ta'ib aka Ivan) and Ki Agus Muhammad Toni for "mobilizing others" to commit acts of terrorism. They had been charged under article 14 of the Anti-terrorism law, which carries a maximum sentence of 15 years. The two men were found guilty of illegal possession of weapons and plotting to bomb a West Sumatran cafe frequented by Westerners. Ki Agus was also found guilty of killing an Indonesian Christian teacher in ¶2007. ¶3. (SBU) According to evidence presented at the trial, Abdurrohman was the de-facto leader of the group. He had convened the plotters in his home and encouraged them to target people or places that were deemed "un-Islamic." Mohammad Hasan (aka Fajar Taslim, a Singaporean national whose trial is ongoing) had directed the actual activities of the group. The ten members of the so-called "Palembang Group" were arrested during a July 2008 raid of Abdurrohman's home (reftel B). The raid also netted a cache of home-made bombs. ¶4. (SBU) On April 21 in a separate trial, the South Jakarta District Court sentenced Anis Sugandi (aka Abdullah Hussair) and Sukarso Abdillah (aka Abdurrohman) to jail terms of five and four years, respectively. (Note: In recent years, the GOI has moved terrorist trials to Jakarta so they are prosecuted by members of the AGO's Task Force on Terrorism and Transnational Crime.) The men were charged under article 13c of the anti-terror law with aiding and abetting an act of terrorism by withholding information from the police. AGO prosecutors had requested eight- and seven-year prison terms for the two men. The judges determined that although the men should have reported the terrorist plot to the police, they had a relatively minor role in the group. The four men convicted on April 21 may appeal the verdicts. A LINK TO JI, BUT NOT A CLOSE ONE ¶5. (C) Contrary to press reports, the Palembang Group was not a JI terrorist cell. The men were affiliated to JI via membership in the local Forum Against Apostasy or FAKTA group. Fajar Taslim was the only member of the group with a clear connection to the JI terrorist network. The verdict in the trial of Fajar Taslim and two other members of the Palembang Group are slated to be delivered on April 28. According to the judges, Fajar Taslim directed the Palembang Group's activities and met periodically with the group. He was an English-language teacher who had a close relationship Singaporean JI leader Mas Selamat Kastari. PROSECUTION PLEASED WITH VERDICT ¶6. (C) The successful prosecutions underscore the GOI's ongoing commitment to combating terrorism. Members of the U.S.-supported Attorney General's Terrorism and Transnational Crime Task Force prosecuted the cases. AGO prosecutor Totok Bambang told the press he was satisfied with the verdicts. In a conversation with poloff, Totok Bambang and Narendra Jatna stated that the mindset of the Palembang Group differed from that of other terrorist rings. Although the men had plotted a terrorist attack on a bar frequented by non-Muslims, they had called off the attack after realizing devout Muslims might be killed. This mindset may have been a JAKARTA 00000727 002 OF 002 mitigating factor in the sentencing determinations. (Note: Previous terrorist attacks in Indonesia had drawn outrage by the local populace for killing Muslims and non-Muslims alike.) ¶7. (SBU) Of the ten members of the Palembang Group, seven have been successfully prosecuted. Sugiarto (aka Sugicheng aka Raja),Agustiawarman (aka Abu Taskid) and Heri Purwanto (aka Abu Hurairoh),who were sentenced in early April 2009 (reftel A),have decided not to appeal the verdicts. HUME