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| Southeast Asia |
| Azahari was preparing Christmas terrorist attacks against churches |
| 2005-11-12 |
| Via JihadWatch About 30 home-made explosive devices found in the hideout used by the group linked to Jemaah Islamiyah. Azahariâs death is confirmed. Azahari bin Husin and his terrorist group were preparing a series of bomb attacks against churches in Malang to coincide with the Christmas festivities, this according to police sources. Police are still trying to determine why Azahari had rented a villa in Batu, a mountainous tourist resort near the city of Malang (East Java), but intelligence sources believe that his âtarget was a very big church in Malangâ. Yesterday (Nov. 9) Azahari allegedly blew himself up to avoid capture by a special police anti-terrorist squad after a two-hour operation in Batu. And today police sources confirmed that the human remains that were tested were those of the wanted terrorist. Malang is a tourist resort area 80 km south of Surabaya, capital of East Java province. It is home to many Catholic religious orders like the Verbites and Carmelites as well as a major seminary that received hundreds of seminarians from different orders to study philosophy and theology. The St Joseph College Senior High School is another well known local Catholic institution and is run by Carmelite sisters. The Bishopâs residence is close to the school. In addition to Catholic institutions, there are several Protestant ones. Investigators believe that Azahari was planning a series of bomb attacks on Christmas night and during the festive season. Something similar had already occurred on Christmas day 2000 when bombs exploded in five churches in Jakarta and other Indonesian cities. Protestant churches in Sulawesi were targets of attacks in recent years, Christians in East Java were equally victims of extremist violence. Rest at link. |
| Posted by:ed |