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| Southeast Asia |
| Jemaah Islamiyah terrorist disappears |
| 2014-04-26 |
| Agus Dwikarna was a Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) operative who, according to the UN, guided al-Qaeda's Ayman al-Zawahiri on a trip to Aceh. This alleged Al-Qaeda-linked terrorist from Sulawesi disappeared just days after coming home from the Philippines, where he had been imprisoned since 2002 on charges of possessing illegal explosives. He returned in early January and spent a few days at his home in Makassar, but his whereabouts since are unknown, Indonesian officials say. Agus was serving a 17-year sentence when the Philippines deported him to Indonesia. The Philippines convicted him twelve years ago for trying to board a flight to Bangkok from Manila with C-4 plastic explosives and bomb parts in his possession. Though Agus denied those charges, he had an extensive history of involvement in terrorist activities, according to the UN. In September 2003, the UN's Security Council Committee listed him among people with alleged ties to al-Qaeda and direct involvement with the terror group's most senior leaders. Until his 2002 arrest in Manila, Agus was "a major figure" of Laskar Jundullah in Makassar, military wing of the Indonesian Mujahedeen Council (MMI). He also worked as a regional head of the Indonesian branch of the Al-Haramain Islamic Foundation, which funnelled al-Qaeda money into the region and gave its operatives cover as charity workers. According to reports, apart from running a Sulawesi training camp, Agus escorted two of al-Qaeda's top leaders on a tour of Aceh Province: Ayman al-Zawahiri and Mohammed Atef, head of al-Qaeda's military wing, who has since been killed. According to the UN, the two al-Qaeda leaders visited Aceh in June 2002, but other sources date their trip to June 2000. |
| Posted by:ryuge |