Police names 15 terrorists involved in attacks in Poso and Palu
Jakarta (AsiaNews) In a unusual move, Indonesian police released the names of 15 terrorists accused of violence and attacks in Poso and Palu, Central Sulawesi province, national police spokesman Brigadier General Anton Bachrul Alam announced tonight.
Two groups, referred to as Tanah Runtuh and Kompak Kayamanya, are said to have been behind the spate of violence in Poso and Palu between 2001 and 2006, and are considered very dangerous and well armed, capable of using bombs, guns and other weapons
Tanah Runtuh is so named after a village near Poso. Its members include Hasanuddin, Harris, Irwanto Irano, Yusuf Asapa, Rahmat Jindra, Sudirman alias Ako, and Poniran alias Ipong.
Hasanuddin masterminded some of the bloodiest crimes in the area like the murder of three Christian female students in October 2005; the murder/mutilation of Rev Susianti Tinulele, a Protestant clergywoman; the murder of John Pajoya, a member of the Central Sulawesi Synod of Churches; and the bomb attack against Palu's Emmanuel Church in 2004.
Hasanuddin's uncle, Adnan Arsal, heads Gebang Rejo, a Muslim village where clashes between police and locals last October 22 left one person dead, setting off a wave of protests.
Hasanuddin himself is currently detained in a maximum security facility in Jakarta.
Kompak Kayamanya gets also its name from a village near Poso and includes people like Farid Ma'ruf, Fadli Barasalim alias Apo, Jusman Saehed, Iswadi Ma'ruf, Rusli Tawil alias Uci, Ifet, Sakur and Yusman Said.
It is blamed for hold-ups that netted this year millions of rupiahs from a local cocoa plantation and local government office.
The unusual move to release the names of terrorists involved in violence in Poso and Palu follows and announcement by national police Chief Sutanto that the capture of terrorists was made possible by the assistance of Poso Muslim religious leaders, including possibly Hasanuddin's uncle Arsal.
The 15 terrorists are now in police custody but nothing more is known. According to Alam, the police is now after another 29 suspected terrorists.
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