by Mathias Hariyadi

In Central Java police have arrested a number of suspected members of militant Islamic group Jemaah Islamiyah. Its new leader Abu Dujana is said however to have escaped. He is thought to be linked to Noordin Top, another terrorist on Indonesia’s Most Wanted list.

Jakarta (AsiaNews) – Terrorists arrested by Indonesian police on March 20 in Yogyakarta belong to Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), the al-Qaeda-linked South-East Asian terrorist network, police reported in a press conference yesterday in Jakarta.

The individuals arrested include members of JI’s top echelons, but police have not yet determine which role they might play.

Wanted Afghan War veteran Abu Dujana remains at large however. He is believed to have replaced Malaysian-born Dr Azahari at the helm of the terrorist organization after the latter was killed in a police anti-terrorism operation.

Originally from Bandung, Dujana is suspected by Indonesian security to have links with another key JI figure in Indonesia, Noordin Top, also on the country’s Most Wanted list.

Intelligence sources believe Noordin to be seriously sick and hiding somewhere in Central Java.

Meanwhile, also in Central Java, police yesterday dealt another blow against Islamic extremists. They found 20 detonators, almost two kilos of material for the making of low-grade bombs and about a hundred jihad manuals.

• indonesia
• jemiah
• islamiyah
• abu
• dujana
• arrests
• noording
• top
• al-qaeda