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Convict directs strikes from North Sumatra jail
Outgoing National Police chief Gen
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utgoing National Police chief Gen. Bambang Hendarso Danuri said Monday the police had found that a terrorist convict had directed the movement of a group of terrorists in Aceh and North Sumatra from a prison in Medan.
“[Toni Togar] was arrested on July 11, 2003 over his various roles starting from orchestrating the church bombing in Pekanbaru in 2000 and fundraising the 2003 JW Marriott bombing,” Bambang said.
Toni had been sentenced to 20 years of imprisonment at the Sian-tar Penitentiary in Medan, North Sumatra.
“In cooperation with the Justice and Human Rights Ministry, we are sending him to Jakarta to be further questioned regarding his role behind the recent strikes,” he said.
National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Iskandar Hasan said Toni used a prison ward’s cell phone to give orders to his fellow terrorists.
Bambang said the police had gathered information indicating Toni’s involvement from establishing the Aceh military training camp in Jantho mountains early this year, the CIMB Niaga armed robbery that claimed the life of a police officer by the name of Immanuel Simanjuntak to the police precinct attack in Hamparan Perak, Deli Serdang, that claimed the lives of three police officers: Bait Sinulingga, Deto Sutejo and Riswandi.
“From prison, he managed to recruit a new member, identified as Iwan,” Bambang said.
The police were pursuing Iwan, who was also responsible for the recent strikes, he went on. Beside Iwan, the police also hunted Taufik Marzuki alias Abu Sayyaf.
“God willing, we can arrest Taufik soon. It is the new police chief, Gen. Timur Pradopo, who will likely be the one to announce his arrest later on,” Bambang, who left office Monday, said.
Toni graduated from the Al-Islam boarding school in Ngruki, Surakarta in 1990. Toni once served as a teacher in Ngruki from 1990 to 1992.
Later Toni joined the Al Jamaah Al Islamiyah and then participated in a series of military trainings in Afghanistan in 1995. After serving several years as combatant, Toni returned to Indonesia. He then collaborated with Hambali, who was later arrested by the US authority in Bangkok and then brought to the US to be further questioned for masterminding a series of church bombings in Pekanbaru, Riau, and several other places in Sumatra.
