Indonesia nabs one of its top terrorists

Lynn Lee The Straits Times Publication Date : 11-12-2010

Abu Tholut, 39, has been described as a seasoned war strategist and an experienced military trainer. He did not resist arrest Friday (December 10).

Indonesian police Friday (December 10) announced the capture of one of the country's most wanted terrorists, a man described as a battle-hardened strategist and an experienced military trainer. Abu Tholut, 39, did not resist arrest when Indonesia's elite anti-terror squad Detachment 88 raided a house in Kudus, Central Java, yesterday. A firearm with eight bullets, and several more rounds wrapped in plastic, were found on him. Tholut fought alongside the mujahideen or Islamic warriors in Afghanistan in the 1980s and became a leading figure in the now-splintered Jemaah Islamiah (JI) terror network when he returned home. He reportedly sent Islamic fighters to wage war against Christians in Poso in Central Sulawesi in the late 1990s and also trained Islamic separatist fighters in the Philippine island of Mindanao. Indonesian police have accused him of playing a key role in the setting up of a terrorist training camp in Aceh, which they broke up earlier in February. A series of violent armed robberies and an attack on police officers in and around the city of Medan have also been linked to him. On Friday, national police spokesman Boy Rafli Amar refused to reveal much about ongoing investigations beyond confirming Tholut's arrest. "Our team is continuing to pursue other suspects... I cannot give you many details. The officers are still working in the field," he told reporters. The arrest comes during a period of heightened alert for Indonesian security forces. In the past two weeks, Molotov cocktails have been hurled at a Catholic church and shots fired through the windows of a Mennonite church. More recently, petrol bombs were found in several places in Central Java, including outside police stations and churches. This surge prompted police to declare that they would tighten security ahead of the festive season. A decade ago, a series of coordinated church bombings across Indonesia killed 18 people and injured many more. Meanwhile, firebrand cleric Abu Bakar Bashir - acquitted after he was tried for allegedly giving his blessing for the church bombings - remains behind bars. He is accused of funding and supporting the Aceh training camp; his trial could start as early as next week. Tholut is believed to be a member of Bashir's organisation, Jemaah Anshorut Tauhid, a hardline group set up to promote the creation of an Islamic state in Indonesia. He was convicted of possessing explosives in 2004 and sentenced to seven years' jail. He was released in 2007 for good behaviour. In September, The Jakarta Globe quoted a former Indonesian student of Tholut's describing his teacher as a resolute jihadist, who is "best at making bombs and drawing up war tactics". Former national police chief Bambang Hendarso Danuri also named Tholut as the mastermind behind a series of armed heists, including the deadly hold-up of a bank in Medan in August. Terrorism researcher V. Arianti of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies said Tholut was known to support armed robberies against non-Muslims as a way of raising funds for terror activities. "We believe his ideas are still shared by some militants out there, but his arrest may dissuade them from carrying out their plans for now."