Posted on 05/14/2003 9:25:03 AM PDT by knighthawk
THE alleged field commander of the Bali bombings, Imam Samudra, yesterday threatened a new terror campaign would follow the three blasts that killed at least 34 in the Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh.
As he was being led from the prosecutor's office to an armoured police van in Denpasar in Bali, Imam Samudra shouted: "After Riyadh there will be another one."
He also repeatedly yelled "Aluha Akhbar (God is Great) and America will be destroyed".
Imam Samudra's taunts were interpreted as an attempt to inspire followers of the Jemaah Islamiah terrorist group in which he once held a senior position. Local authorities were surprised he had learnt of the Riyadh attacks, which have been linked to al-Qa'ida, less than 24 hours after the bombs ripped through the three housing complexes. However, they do not believe he had direct knowledge of the bombings.
Imam Samudra and 13 other accused, including Bali bombing field operative Ali Imron, were taken yesterday to the prosecutor's office to finalise the presentations of their briefs of evidence – the last step before being taken to trial under Indonesia's anti-terrorism laws, in hearings set to begin within two weeks.
As Ali Imron, the younger brother of co-accused Amrozi, was being led in to meet the prosecutors, he said he felt "remorseful that Australians had died", echoing sentiments he expressed shortly after his arrest in January.
Imam Samudra's remarks have once again sparked interest in the links between Jemaah Islamiah and other radical Islamic groups in southeast Asia, such as the Philippines-based Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the militant movement Abu Sayyaf. Over the past six months, regional police and intelligence officials have assembled a body of evidence that shows all three groups share more than a common ideology – they also boast some membership and training links and are now widely thought to have traded bomb-making expertise.
Imam Samudra's frequent public rants, which often echo anti-American statements issued by Osama bin Laden, have given the evidence extra impetus. And debriefings of one of the September 11 masterminds, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, are believed to have given some insights into al-Qa'ida's links to the region, primarily through fugitive terror figure Hambali, who earlier this year was thought to have fled to Pakistan.
Bali's police chief and the former head of the bombing investigation Major-General Made Mangku Pastika confirmed intelligence reports existed confirming some links between JI, MILF and Abu Sayyaf, but declined to provide details.
In an interview with The Australian, he also confirmed up to 30 members of Jemaah Islamiah still on the run had sophisticated bomb-making skills learned in Afghanistan.
"There are 10, 20, even 30 of these people," he said. "They concern us very much."
Major-General Pastika said that of that group, alleged Bali bomb-makers Dr Azahari, Dulmatin and Idris posed the greatest threat. Pol ice believe they have tracked at least two of the trio to a specific area in the Indonesian archipelago but have been unable to pinpoint their location.
However it is now clear the group behind the Bali bombings have also tried to embark on a terror campaign since Bali. Major-General Pastika confirmed a threat from JI figures was behind a terror scare in the East Java city of Surabaya this year.
Acting on intelligence provided by the Australian Federal Police, the federal Government issued a terror warning for Surabaya at the time that related to a stash of chemicals found in the nearby province of Sulawesi.
Major-General Pastika said the JI figures were planning an "Amalia", or an act of god. The group was led by a peripheral Bali bombing player, known as Qurudin.
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