Jakarta, 9 Nov. (AKI) - The Malaysian terror leader, Azahari bin Husin, is believed to have been killed in a gun battle with Indonesian police at a hide-out near the East Java town of Batu in Indonesia, according to local television reports. One of Asia's most wanted men, Azahari is believed to have blown himself up after being cornered by the police. Together with another Malaysian, Noordin Mohammad Top, Azahari is thought to be connected to Jemaah Islamiyah, the Southeast Asian-based terrorist network with links to al-Qaeda. The pair are also said to be behind the 1 October Bali bombings which killed 23 people as well as other attacks. "The body was in pieces but his face could still be recognised by two members of the anti-terrorist unit from Jakarta," journalist Karni Ilyas told Indonesia's ANTV. "He blew himself up together with the house," he added. Indonesia's Metro TV also reported that Azahari, who is a bomb expert, had been killed in the raid on the house.
Azahari bin Nusin and Noordin Mohamed Top were also named as suspects in previous attacks in Indonesia - one in 2003 at the Marriot hotel in Jakarta which killed 12 people and another at the Australian embassy in 2004 which killed 11 people.
Additional:
INDONESIA'S most wanted man and the terrorist blamed for a string of attacks including the Bali bombings is believed to have blown himself up to avoid capture. Azahari Husin apparently triggered a bomb killing himself and two accomplices at his hideout in East Java yesterday.
| I suppose it would be too much to hope for that one of the other deaders was Noordin Top |
Last night, witnesses said the area had been cordoned off and electricity had been cut. They said the situation remained tense as police surrounded a suspected terrorist compound. A Detachment 88 source said that the police raid was linked to the October 1 triple suicide bombing on three cafes in Kuta and Jimbaran in Bali which killed 20 people, among them four Australians. The ANTV television station, citing police sources, said Husin had been hiding out in the house and blew himself up rather than be captured. Gorries Mere, Indonesia's deputy chief of detectives, said: "We suspect it is him."