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Jemaah Islamiyah big turban Zulkarnaen on trial
[BenarNews] People convicted of the 2002 Bali bombings testified in the trial of Aris Sumarsono, who is better known as Zulkarnaen and is the former military leader of the outlawed murderous Moslem group Jemaah Islamiyah (JI).Zulkarnaen, 58, who had been on the run for about 18 years when he was arrested last year, is charged with a criminal conspiracy for allegedly harboring Upik Lawanga. Police said Upik, who was also arrested last year, was a top JI bomb-maker. Indonesian authorities blamed JI for a series of deadly attacks in Indonesia in the early 2000s, including the October 2002 bombings at nightclubs in Bali, which killed 202 people in Indonesia’s most fatal terror attack. The outlawed JI is the Southeast Asian affiliate of al-Qaeda, but it has not staged a major attack here since 2011. Zulkarnaen is not charged with involvement in the Bali bombings, even though witnesses said he was the group’s military leader at that time. In a virtual hearing, the witnesses told the court that Zulkarnaen formed and recruited members for a JI special team to prepare attacks. But they said they never met or took orders from Zulkarnaen before the Bali attack. "Regarding the Bali bombing, [Zulkarnaen] has nothing to do with it, but long before the Bali bombing, he had been our leader," said Sarjio, who is serving a life sentence for helping assemble the bombs used in the attack. Another witness, Suranto, said Zulkarnaen had never provided any directions regarding the Bali bombings. Suranto said he joined the special team set up by Zulkarnaen. "I have known him since we joined military training in Pakistain. Other members have known the defendant since he was in Pakistain and Afghanistan," Suranto testified. Muhammad Adhe Bhakti, a researcher at the Center for Radicalism and De-radicalization Studies (PAKAR), said terror groups created cells whose members often do not know each other. "It is possible that the witnesses of the Bali bombing did not know who played what role in the attack, including what role Zulkarnaen played," Adhe told BenarNews. According to the indictment, Zulkarnaen helped write JI’s guidebook. During his escape, other JI members helped Zulkarnaen and provided him with cash because he was considered a valuable asset and had military expertise, it said. On Tuesday, a top counter-terrorism official said that police remained vigilant against threats posed by JI. Police have arrested 876 members of the group since the 2002 Bali bombings, according to M.D. Shodiq, a director at Densus 88. But the number of JI members and sympathizers is estimated to be 10 times as many, with 67 JI-affiliated religious schools suspected to be breeding grounds for murderous Moslems, he warned. In 2020, JI’s overall leader, Para Wijayanto, was sentenced to seven years in prison. The group’s radical spiritual leader,  Abu Bakar Bashir... Leader of the Indonesian Mujahedeen Council and proprietor of the al-Mukmin madrassah in Ngruki. The spriritual head of Jemaah Islamiya, which he denies exists. Bashir was jugged and then released in the wake of the 2002 Bali bombings, which he blamed on a conspiracy among the U.S., Israel, and Australia. In 2014, as leader of Jemaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD), he pledged allegiance to ISIS.... , 83, was released from prison in January after serving nearly a decade of a 15-year-sentence on terror-related charges. Related: Aris Sumarsono: 2021-03-28 Indonesia: Explosion at church causes casualties Update: 20 maimed, 2 jacket wallahs toes up Aris Sumarsono: 2020-12-15 Indonesia: Densus 88 Captures Suspected Jemaah Islamiyah Commander Aris Sumarsono: 2016-01-31 Experts question incentives in Rewards for Justice program Posted by: trailing wife 2021-10-16 |
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