Nine terrorist suspects flown to Jakarta

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Thu, 07/03/2008 4:36 PM  |  Headlines

Nine  suspected terrorists, arrested on Wednesday by anti-terror police in Palembang, South Sumatra, were at 9 a.m. on Thursday flown to Jakarta, Antara news wire has reported.

Tightly escorted by police officers, the nine men  were herded into a police aircraft at Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II Airport in Palembang. Black masks covered their faces as they were led onto the police aircraft.

The nine were rounded up during a series of nearby raids in Palembang on Tuesday and Wednesday.

In a raid on a house on Jalan Papera, police discovered and seized  eight partly-assembled bombs and 13 fully built-up bombs, and  50 kilogram of explosive materials.

Among those detained was a Singaporean who met several times with Osama bin Laden.

The men allegedly first planned to attack foreign tourists on Sumatra Island, but decided to target Jakarta instead after realizing too many Indonesian lives could have been lost, TVOne quoted anti-terror police as saying.

The timing and exact location of the planned strike were not immediately known.

All nine will be charged with violating anti-terrorism laws. If found guilty, they face a maximum penalty of death.

The suspects allegedly had ties with Southeast Asia's most wanted man, Noordin Top, a Malaysian fugitive who is believed to head the violent breakaway faction of Jemaah Islamiyah. Many of the victims have been Muslims, something that has caused divisions in the group.

Police spokesman Abubakar Nataprawira confirmed the arrests and the recovery of explosives, but would not elaborate, saying the investigation was ongoing. (**)

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