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| Southeast Asia |
| Indonesia arrests Singapore militant |
| 2003-02-03 |
| Police in Indonesia say they have arrested the leader of the Singapore branch of Jemaah Islamiah (JI), the regional militant network accused of carrying out the Bali bombings last year. Mas Slamet Kastari was detained on Sunday evening in the city of Tanjungpinang on the Indonesian island of Bintan, Lieutenant-General Erwin Mappaseng told the BBC. Mas Slamet had been on the run since 2001, when Singaporean police implicated him in a plot to crash an airplane into Changi International airport. More than 50 alleged members of JI have been arrested over the last year in Singapore and Malaysia. News of Mas Slamet's detention came hours after a small bomb went off at the national headquarters of Indonesia's police force in the capital, Jakarta. Bad timing for your capture, Mas. The cops are pissed. Indonesian police say they have been on the trail of Mas Slamet Kastari for a few days, after receiving a tip-off from their Singaporean counterparts. He was first sighted on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, then followed to Bintan island, just off the coast of Singapore. There, according to police, he was supposed to meet with two accomplices who failed to turn up. "He was carrying a fake identity card and passport," Lieutenant-General Mapasseng said. I'd have been surprised if he didn't. The BBC correspondent in Jakarta, Rachel Harvey, says the arrest marks a significant breakthrough for the security forces. Recent improvements in co-operation between police forces in the region could be starting to pay dividends, she says. Also on Monday Indonesian police said they had arrested a Malaysian man who they said was involved in the planning and financing of the Bali bombing. A total of 30 suspects have now been arrested in connection with the Bali attacks, which killed nearly 200 people, mostly foreign tourists. Too many people involved, someone was bound to talk. Your experienced terror groups limit the size of their cells to just a few people. That limits the damage when one cell is broken. |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #1 Details on the second capture: Nurdin Mohammed Thob was arrested yesterday in East Java and is to be taken to Bali for questioning about his role in providing $US35,000 ($60,000) to finance the Bali attack.Spokesman for the Bali investigation, Zainuri Lubis, said Mr Thob was picked up alone in rented house in Gresik in East Java. Mr Thob, a Malaysian, has been a suspect since December when his name was found on a document in a raid on a house in Solo occupied by a key JI figure and Bali bombing suspect known as Muchlas. Indonesian police say Mr Thob, with another Malaysian, Dr Azhari, has long been wanted by the Malaysian Government. Nice to catch the money men and find out where the funds came from. |
| Posted by: Steve 2003-02-03 10:47:29 |