NOORDIN M TOP'S NETWORK PLANS MORE ATTACKS

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Aug 8 (ANTARA) - The Indonesian police's anti-terror unit, Densus 88, raided two terrorist hideouts in West Java and Central Java Saturday morning, killing three terror suspects, one believed to be Noordin M Top, before they could realize their plan to launch suicide bomb attacks on President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's house and the State Palace.

        "Their next targets after the July 17, 2008 attacks on JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotels were the President's house in Cikeas, Bogor, West Java, and the State Palace about two weeks after August 1, 2009," Police Chief Gen. Bambang Hendarso Danuri said.

        The police chief made the remarks at a press conference after he reported to the president on the success of the anti-terror police in raiding the two terrorist hideouts. Three suspected terrorists were killed. Two were killed in a housing complex in Jatiasih, Bakasi, West Java and one, believed to be Noordin M Top, in Temanggung, Central Java. They also arrested five others in separate locations.

        The police chief said that information on their plan to attack the president's house was obtained from the arrested suspects and pieces of evidence collected from the incident site in a house in Puri Nusapala housing complex, Jatiasih, Bekasi, West Java. The suspects use this house as a hideout and place to hide explosives.

        "The location is only about 12 minutes drive from Cikeas and they plan to carry out the attack two weeks after August 1, 2009," the police chief said adding that Amir Ibrahim, one of the suspects, had admitted about the plan.

        Danuri said on August 5, the police arrested Amir Ibrahim who booked room number 1808 at JW Marriott. "Until after we arrested Ibrahim we did not make any publicity because if we did it would finish there," he said.

        He said the police had also arrested Yayan in North Jakarta who had been recruited to be a suicide bomber candidate. From the suspects that had been arrested the police found a house at Puri Nusapala estate Block D in Jatiasih, Bekasi, Banten, West Java, that had been used as a place to plan the bombings as well as to keep explosive materials.

        Danuri said that the terrorist plan could be foiled due to the hard work of police in the field.

        Police raided their hideout in Jatiasih early on Saturday. Two terrorists were shot dead by police officers of the Densus-88 anti terror unit at the Puri Nusaphala housing complex.

        "They were shot because they were about to throw a bomb at the police," Bambang Hendarso Danuri said as quoted by Brigadier General Sulistyo Ishak, a police spokesman.

        The fatal shooting was necessary because the two terrorists had threatened the lives of the police officers, he said. The dead terrorist were identified as Eko Joko Supriyanto and Ari Setiawan.

        The anti-terror policemen also found hundreds of kilograms of explosive materials in a minivan car near the house. The explosives had been assembled and were ready to be exploded.

        The car was sent from Solo, Central Java, and was designed as a means of a suicide bomb attack. However, all suspects in Solo escaped after they heard the arrests made in Bekasi, West Java, and in Temanggung in Central Java.

        In addition to Bekasi, about 50 members of the Densus-88 anti terror police had been involved in a gun battle with suspected terrorists hiding in a house in Beji village, Kedu subdistrict, Temanggung district, Central Java, since Friday evening. The exchange of fire took place after the anti-terror police at 4 pm besieged the house.

        They besieged the house for about 18 hours until Saturday morning. Police made the raid after they planted low explosives and detonated several sections of the house. Suspected fugitive Malaysian-born terrorist Noordin M Top was killed in the raid. His body was then flown to Jakarta.

        However, police could not yet confirm if the person killed during the raid in Central Java was Noordin M Top. "Right now we dare not say who he is pending a scientific study. There must be a DNA test," he said.

        In view of that he called on all parties who felt they had family relationship with the person to immediately come to the police to have their DNA samples taken to compare with his. "Only after the results of the DNA test was available could we be able to confirm about him and it was possibly next week that his identity would be knon," he said. He said the police would make his identity known to the public after he had scientific facts to confirm it.

        When asked if the physical characteristics of the dead person were similar to those of suspected terrorists Noordin M Top who had been wanted so far, the national police chief declined to answer but asked for patience until scientific proof was found. The suspected Noordin Top body was flown to Jakarta at about 1.30 pm on Saturday from Central Java through Yogyakarta's Adisutjipto airport.

        With the arrival of suspected Noordin M Top's body at the Kramatjati Police Hospital here on Saturday, the hospital's forensic ward now holds the bodies of five terror suspects.

        Before the arrival of Noordin M Top's assumed body from Temanggung, Central Java, the hospital had received the severed heads of Nana and Dani from Pandeglang who were involved in the JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotel bombings, and of Eko Joko Supriyanto and Air Setiawan from Jatiasih Bekasi, West Java who were shot dead in a police raid. ***4*** (T.A014/A/HAJM/00:05/H-YH)