Detective says Hambali sent funds to bomb Indonesia

Jakarta: Hambali is known to have sent funds totalling 45,000 US dollars to "bomb" Indonesia through a Malaysian national given the alias Li-Li. It is now being analysed to find out if this money was used for the Marriott bombing.

This was announced by Indonesia's senior detective Commissioner General Erwin Mappasang at a press conference in Jakarta police headquarters today (Tuesday 19 August).

"The police are still investigating whether or not Hambali played a role in the Marriott bombing because it is certainly known that a Malaysian citizen arrested in Thailand under the alias Li-Li was sent 45,000 US dollars from Hambali in June for the purpose of bombing/s in Indonesia," said Erwin.

"So, at this stage, it is being scrutinised to see if this money was the funds received by Noor Din Mohd Top, the controller of the Marriott bombing on 5 August," he continued.

Because of this, Erwin added, the Indonesian police were trying to gain access to question Hambali in connection with a number of bombings in Indonesia, including the Marriott.

http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/latest/story/0,4390,205529,00.html?

Malaysians who gave tipoff on Hambali held in US

KUALA LUMPUR -- Malaysia confirmed on Tuesday that two of its citizens, one of whom reportedly led security forces to the hideout of top terror suspect Hambali, were being held by the United States.

Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi told a news conference that the two are being investigated by the US, and said 'we hope they will be handed over to us'.

The Star newspaper said on Tuesday the two Malaysians were members of Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda terror network and identified them as using the aliases Li-Li and Zubair.

The paper quoted unnamed intelligence sources as saying Li-Li was captured in Bangkok on Aug 11 and was responsible for exposing the whereabouts of Hambali, arrested in Thailand last week.

Hambali, an Indonesian, is reputedly the chief operational commander of the Al-Qaeda-linked regional terror group Jemaah Islamiah (JI), accused of last year's bomb attack that killed 202 people in Bali and this month's bombing of the Marriott Hotel in Jakarta.

The Star said Li-Li and Zubair, who was captured in Bangkok in June, were believed to have been handed over to US custody along with Hambali and taken to an undisclosed destination for interrogation.

The revelation of their arrests comes at a particularly sensitive time for Malaysia, with Indonesian police on Tuesday accusing two other Malaysians as major players in the Bali and Jakarta attacks.

The men are Azahari Husin, alleged chief bomb-maker for JI, and Noordin Muhammad Top, named as overall 'controller' of the hotel bombing. -- AFP

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