BODY OF NOORDIN'S 'SUCCESOR' STILL BEING EXAMINED

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Oct 10 (ANTARA) - The bodies of two suspected terrorists -- one believed to be Noordin M Top's successor, an expert in recruiting suicide bombers -- are still being examined by forensic experts at Kramat Jati Police hospital. Police will announce on Monday the identities of the two dead terror suspects.
However, police believe that the two bodies are those of Syaifudin Zuhri bin Djaelani alias Udin alias Soleh (believed to be the successor of Noordin M Top) and Mohamad Syahrir alis Aing. Both were killed in an anti-terror police raid on their hideout, in Ciputat, South Tangerang, a western suburb of Jakarta, at almost noon on Friday.
The two bodies underwent identification process at the Indonesian Automatic Finger Print Identification System (Inafis) at the hospital on Friday but none of the Inafis team members would provide information when they left the hospital at 4.45 pm.
Spokesman of the National Police Heaquarters Insp. General Nanan Soekarna said police could not yet ascertain the identities of the two terror suspects who were shot dead by the Densus-88 anti-terror police unit in Ciputat on Friday.
But he believed that the two bodies were those of Syaifudin Zuhri and Mohamad Syahrir. However, Nanan said the police would only officially confirm their identities after receiving the outcome of forensic tests conducted by the Disaster Victim Investigation (DVI) Team of the Kramat Jati Police Hospital.
He said police were forced to shoot the two because they had tried to resist arrest by throwing three small bombs at police officers approaching their room in a students' boarding house.
Syaifudin himself is so far known as being a resident of Telaga Kahuripan housing complex in Parung, Bogor, West Java.
After the raid at 11.15 am, police found seven bombs in the room they had occupied.
Before the raid, members of the police's Special Detachment 88 anti-terror unit had arrested a man known by his initials FR who was believed to have served as a courier for the two terror suspects. On the chronology of the raid, Nanan said police would give the media a detailed account on Monday, after obtaining the result of the forensic examinations.
Syaifudin Zuhri and Mohamad Syahrir who were involved in the twin bombing at the JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotels that killed 9 people and injured more than 50 others on July 17, 2009, are brothers.
They are also bothers-in-law of Ibrohim or Boim, a florist at JW Marriott who played a role in the bombing of the hotel. Ibrohim died in an-anti terror police raid in Temanggung, Solo, Central Java, on August 8, 2009.
Syaifudin Zuhri was known to have the ability to recruit suicide bombers while Mohammad Syahrir had expertise in assembling bombs. Syahrir once worked as a mechanic at an airline company.
Following the success of the Densus-88 anti-terror unit in its raid on Syaifudin Zuhri's hideout, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who following the JW Marriot bombing claimed he himself had also become a target of the terrorists, expressed his appreciation.
"The national police chief has reported about the finding of terrorist suspects and the raid that followed that led to the deaths of two suspects. Two were dead but for details it would be better wait for the national police chief's explanation. The national police chief just now had reported another success in anti-terrorism operations. He however said that two more were still wanted," the president was quoted by his spokesman Andi Mallarangeng as saying.
He said that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had expressed his appreciation to the police on Friday for their performance in eradicating terrorism while calling for complete eradication of terrorist networks.
Andi said the president had called for complete eradication of terrorism so that no terrorists would disturb the peace of minds of the people.
"The President thanked the police for their performance and would continue to give encouragement to the police to seize the others and rid the country of terrorist networks. We wish to develop the country and therefore none must be allowed to conduct damages with actions that would harm the economy, the innocent," he said.
Since the terror attacks on JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotels which killed nine people and injured over 50 others in Jakarta on July 17, 2009, the Densus-88 anti-terror police unit has been able to launch at least four raids on terrorists hideouts and killed several terrorists, one of whom was the most wanted Noordin M Top.
Noordin M Top was killed along with three others in a raid on a house in Solo, Central Java, on September 17, 2009. Police also arrested three suspects.
The police attack on Noordin M Top hideout was carried out less than a month after it had successfully raided on a terror hideout in a housing complex in Jatiasih, Bekasi, West Java, on August 7, 2009, where two terror suspects, Eko Joko Suprianto and Air Setiawan were killed. Both had planned to launch a bomb attack within the next three weeks.
The following day of August 8, 2009, police raided a house where Noordin M Top was suspected to be hiding in Beji village, Temanggung district, Central Java. Police killed a terrorist suspect who was initially believed to be Noordin but DNA tests later proved that he was Ibrohim, the florist who was wanted in the JW Marriott boming.***4***

(T.A014/A/HAJM/B003) (T.A014/A/A014/B003) 10-10-2009 13:29:02