Govt hopeful on Hambali’s return from Gitmo

Lilian Budianto ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Fri, 01/23/2009 7:08 PM  |  National

Indonesian-born terror suspect Hambali may be transferred from Guantanamo Bay to Indonesia for trial, Foreign Affairs Minister Hassan Wirajuda said in Jakarta Friday as quoted by Antara state news agency.

The cases of all 245 detainees at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, are currently being reviewed to determine whether they should be transferred, released or prosecuted following President Barack Obama`s orders to close the detention camp within a year.

Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda said the Indonesian government had an obligation to ensure Hambali was being treated well but was opting for a "wait-and-see approach."

"The US authorities will decide whether Hambali is an enemy combatant. If he is considered high profile, he will be tried under military law," Wirajuda said.

Foreign Ministry's spokesman Teuku Faizasyah added that before taking any measures the government would wait for further decision by the US government about the future of Hambali, who Indonesian police said was involved in the killing of 202 people in the 2002 Bali Bombing.

“We will adopt a wait and see approach now,” said Faizasyah.

Hambali, transliterated as Riduan Isamuddin in a score of US intelligence's official documents, is believed to be a leader of Jemaah Islamiyah, an organization with link to al-Qaeda.

He was caught in Thailand in 2003 by US Central Intelligence Agency and Thai police and later transferred to Guantanamo over the allegation of masterminding a number of terrorist attacks in Southeast Asian countries, including Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia and Singapore.

Hambali was holding a Spanish passport when he was caught but it was believed that he was born and grows up in Indonesia.

Detainees not considered high profile will be put on trial in their home countries.

Former US President George Bush described Hambali as "one of the world`s most lethal terrorists and a key figure in al Qaeda`s global operations."

The US government has one year to close the Guantanamo Bay detention center. (and)
 

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