Thursday, April 10, 2014

Terrorist Bashir 'Wants to Disrupt Polls'

April 7 AAP - According to a media report, Radical cleric Abu Bakar Bashir has called for his supporters to disrupt this week's Indonesian legislative elections.



Indonesian police is watchful after Bali bombing mastermind Abu Bakar Bashir encouraged supporters to interrupt this week's Indonesian legislative elections.

The convicted terrorist has asked supporters not to be "unproductive" and to create disorder Wednesday's nationwide ballot.

A warning has been sent by Indonesia's anti-terror forces that a terrorist network could be planning an attack, said Police Lieutenant Colonel Adi Deriyan Jayamarta told Indonesia's Kompas news website police.

An oreder was imposed by the police chief, based in Malang, East Java, that officers has to stay in communication with religious leaders and approach any suspicious object with care, especially near polling stations.

"There's expert personnel who will handle it," he said on Monday.

"Don't think that you have some kind of `blast-free magic' and handle it yourself."
According to Lt Col Adi, Detachment 88, Indonesia's counter-terror squad, had information from a terror suspect involved with a network "that has done military training for firearm and bomb usage".

Noting the elections, Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade updated its travel advice for Indonesia last week.

"Australians are advised to avoid all protests, demonstrations and political rallies, as they can turn violent with little notice," a spokesman said.

"The department keeps the travel advice for Indonesia under close review and updates it as required."

The founder of Jemaah Islamiah (JI), Bashir, is serving 15 years in Nusa Kambangan.   Nusa Kambangan is a high-security jail off the coast of central Java dubbed the Alcatraz of Indonesia.

Over the 2002 Bali bombings, Bashir was acquitted, but was jailed over his role in setting up a terror cell in Aceh.

AAP Bashir was still giving orders from behind bars, albeit to a group with a different name, but the same radical ideology as JI, says the Indonesia's counterterrorism agency chief in 2012.

The bombing of two Kuta nightclubs in 2002 killed 202 people, including 88 Australians.

No comments:

Post a Comment