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January 2, 2006
Indonesia: Trial of Five Suspected JI Islamists
News in Jakarta Post and Associated Press, via Arizona 620ktar Radio relates that five suspected Islamists have gone on trial in Jakarta. The individuals all are said to belong to the extremist Muslim group, Jemaah Islamiyah, the organisation responsible for the Bali bombings of 2002 and 2005.
Those on trial include Ahmad Rofiq Ridho, brother of JI bombmaker Fathur Rohman al-Ghozi, (pictured), who notoriously escaped from a Philippines prison in July 2003, following his arrest in January 2002 and sentencing of 17 years' jail in April, for illegal possession of explosives and possessing fake passports. He was killed in a gun battle near Pigkawayan on Oct 12, 2003 after 13 weeks of being a fugitive.
Ridho is charged with failure to disclose information on Noordin Top and Azahari bin Husin. It is claimed that after the Australian Embassy blast on Sept 9 2004 in Jakarta, Ridho and the other accused hid Noordin Top, who is still a fugitive from justice.
Gilroy Noviandi, one of the defence lawyers, said Ridho "was indicted for failing to inform on the whereabouts of Noordin Top and the involvement in criminal conspiracies. The charges against the other four were for the same things."
Ridho is also indicted on charges of surveying bomb targets in East Java, which included a Christian school and a hotel.
AP states that another of the accused is Iqbal Husaini (pictured right), who is said to have arranged safe houses for Dulmatin and Umar Patek, two JI leaders believed to be hiding in the Philippines.
The identities of the other three defendants have not been made available. All five were arrested in July. They could face the death penalty if convicted. There have been recent arrests of others, for sheltering JI fugitives.
Three individuals were arrested in Java on November 23 as a result of inquiries into the Australian embassy attack. These individuals were named only as Fatkhurrahman, Bukhori and Yasin Al-Reza. They were said to be associates of Noordin Top. On the following day, a man named Dwi Widyarto, aged 33, was arrested, specifically for sheltering Noordin Mohammed Top. Currently, a trial is underway in South Jakarta of Abdullah Sonata, who is accused of assisting Noordin Top, and also trying to rent a safe house on behalf of Azahai bin Husin.
Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at January 2, 2006 11:20 AM
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