Mathias Hariyadi

INDONESIA
Jakarta, head of al Qaeda in Southeast Asia is dead
by Mathias Hariyadi

This is confirmed by the head of the Indonesian police. Noordin Mohammad Top, the most wanted terrorist, was killed last night in a raid by security forces in Central Java. He was the mind of several attacks in the country.

Jakarta (AsiaNews) - Noordin Mohammad Top is dead. This was confirmed by the Indonesian police chief, General Bambang Hendarso Danuri, who confirms that "the battered corpse belongs to the famous Malaysian terrorist", killed - along with three other extremists - in the raid last night by security forces.

The police chief explained that the "announcement" was "official", following 100 percent match between finger prints data and those of the corpse – taken in a military hospital in East Jakarta - with those present in the archives. General Danuri confirms that "Noordin was the leader of al Qaeda in Southeast Asia" and also "the other three terrorists killed," belonged to the fringe of the local network of Osama Bin Laden.

Among other key figures in Islamic fundamentalism in Indonesia - against which Jakarta has launched a tough fight - are Ibrohim aka Boim, killed during an operation of the police in Temanggung, in central Java, last August and Syaifuddin Zuhri, still fugitive.

"We must not underestimate the role of Boim - said the police chief - who people called 'the florist' of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel. He is more than that. He is a key figure for the network of al Qaeda in Southeast Asia”. General Danuri finally confirms "the request of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono" who urged "the police" to "provide citizens with all possible information" about these "thugs" so they may "know".