« Iran: Ayatollahs Find President Not Islamic Enough |
| Thailand: Islamic Schools To Become Relief Centers »
April 27, 2006
Indonesia: JI Islamist Sentenced To Seven Years' Jail
We reported back on January 2 on the start of the trial of a Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) member, Ahmad Rofiq Ridho, also known as Ahmad Taufiq Ridho.
Ridho (pictured) was accused of assisting Noordin Mohammed Top a JI senior member responsible for financing and recruiting for the terrorist organisation, responsible for the 2002 blast in Bali which killed 202 people, and also the 2005 Bali blast of October 1, which killed 26.
It was stated in the court that Ridho used money to provide accomodation for Top, and also to ferry Top on a motorcycle belonging to Joko Tri Priyanto. This happened after a Jemaah Islamiyah attack upon the Australian Embassy in Jakarta on Thursday September 9 2004. This attack cost 11 lives and wounded more than 200 people.
Ridho was accused of withholding information on the whereabouts of Noordin Mohammed Top and also possession of weapons. Today, Associated Press via the Hindu and the Jakarta Post report that Ridho has been found guilty of sheltering Noordin Mohammed Top, and also the charges of weapons possession.
Ridho was today not found guilty in South Jakarta District Court of plotting to kill Americans and other foreigners in Indonesia, with these charges dismissed. It was alleged that Ridho had gone on the lookout for potential targets for attack, including a Christian school.
The presiding judge, Ardiansah Dali, said: "The defendant ... has been found guilty of having and keeping illegal firearms, hand guns, ammunition or explosives. We also find him guilty of helping hide terror suspect Noordin Moh Top."
Before the trial, Ridho protested his innocence, saying: "I didn't do anything wrong."
During his trial, he admitted meeting Noordin Top, who was born in Malaysia, but denied hiding him.
Ridho had a famous brother, Fathur Rohman al-Ghozi. This individual was a notorious JI member who escaped from a Philippines jail in July 2003. He had been arrested in January 2002 and in April had been sentenced to 17 years' jail for illegal possession of explosives and having fake passports. After 13 weeks on the run, he was killed in a gun battle near Pigkawayan in the Philippines on October 12, 2003. Photographs of his body can be found here.
Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at April 27, 2006 6:04 PM
Comments
Post a comment
Thanks for signing in, . Now you can comment. (sign out)
(If you haven't left a comment here before, you may need to be approved by the site owner before your comment will appear. Until then, it won't appear on the entry. Thanks for waiting.)