JAKARTA: One of AsiaÂ’s most wanted Islamic militants has built his own force to carry out attacks in and around Indonesia, independent of the radical group he belongs to, the International Crisis Group said on Friday. The ICG also said the fugitive, Noordin Top, once orchestrated a plan to kidnap Westerners and carry out a bomb attack at a synagogue in the Indonesian city of Surabaya, but the plan was abandoned because police were closing in on him. Malaysian-born Top, originally a key member of the Jemaah Islamiah group blamed for bombing attacks in southeast Asia, has been operating independently to recruit new bombmakers and would-be suicide bombers, the ICG report said. Jemaah Islamiah has links with the Al Qaeda network of Osama bin Laden. Top set up his own group because some key members within Jemaah Islamiah disapproved conducting more bomb attacks in the region, the ICG said. Some attacks blamed on the groups have killed mainly Muslims and Indonesians, despite being aimed at targets considered Western.
Although Top’s splintered group is still in the formative stages and short on funds, his actions may inspire others in the region, said the well-respected ICG. “Since Noordin operates on the principle that going it alone with a small group is a necessary response to the political situation, he may be encouraging like-minded groups.” Police said earlier this year they were investigating possible links between a militant network set up by Top called Tanzim Qaedat al-Jihad or Organisation for the Basis of Jihad with Al Qaeda.