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Terrorist blogger claims Jakarta attacks were act of revenge

A page from a blog believed to be owned by Bahrun Naim, the alleged mastermind of the recent terror attacks in Jakarta, is pictured on a screen

Callistasia Anggun Wijaya (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Tue, January 19, 2016

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Terrorist blogger claims Jakarta attacks were act of revenge A page from a blog believed to be owned by Bahrun Naim, the alleged mastermind of the recent terror attacks in Jakarta, is pictured on a screen. Bahrun is believed to have published several blog posts since the Thursday attack in Central Jakarta, which killed four civilians and injured more than 20 people. (thejakartapost.com) (thejakartapost.com)

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span class="inline inline-center">A page from a blog believed to be owned by Bahrun Naim, the alleged mastermind of the recent terror attacks in Jakarta, is pictured on a screen. Bahrun is believed to have published several blog posts since the Thursday attack in Central Jakarta, which killed four civilians and injured more than 20 people. (thejakartapost.com)

A suspected mastermind behind the Jan. 14 terrorist attacks in Jakarta, Bahrun Naim, has reactivated a defunct blog to post online that the deadly actions had been taken as retaliation against the police.

Bahrun published two blog posts on Monday, four days after the fatal attacks struck Indonesia's capital city, claiming the lives of four civilians and injuring more than 20 people, including police officers.

On his blog post entitled "Advice to viewers", Bahrun wrote that the troops of Daulah Islamiyyah (Islamic State, or IS) conducted the deadly and open attacks to target police officers, which he called Indonesian thagut (those who disobey God's law), and foreigners.

"The attacks were qishas [retaliation] against attacks of salibis [Christians] against Muslims both in Islamic State and in Indonesia," the blog post stated.

He wrote that at least 200 Muslims were murdered without trial by the National Police's counterterrorism squad Densus 88, which he referred to as '€œJesus Squad 88'€.

Four terrorists believed to have links to IS died during the attacks in one of Jakarta's busiest streets, Jl. MH Thamrin, located not far from the State Palace.

IS had threatened the attacks through Abu Wardah '€“ also known as Santoso, Indonesia's most wanted terrorist '€“ who urged all Muslims to repent, Bahrun wrote.

He said the attacks also served as a warning for people to loathe the government and its supporters as well as those who allied themselves with foreigners and capitalist Christians who eroded the wealth of Muslims.

"The warnings urge the people to choose between being on the corrupt government's side that disobeys God's law and fights the Muslims or with the Mujahidin [fighters]!" Bahrun wrote.

Meanwhile, in another blog post uploaded on the same day, entitled "Four Strategies of City Guerillas", Bahrun praised the attackers who had relocated the guerilla movement from the forests to the city center in 'a smart operation'.

"The IS lion had shown its fangs in the country. Making Indonesian Muslims realize that the police thaguts are apostates willing to sell their faith for mere salaries," he said.

The blog post also explains four strategies of urban guerilla warfare that include murder, arrest, siege and monitoring thaguts and their followers.

Before posting online Bahrun has been forced to change his website's domain address as his first one had been blocked after the Jan. 14 attacks.

Terrorism analyst Al-Chaidar said Bahrun wrote the blog posts to show his support for the attacks.

'€œHe is happy with the attack, although he was not the mastermind of the attack,'€ Chaidar told thejakartapost.com on Tuesday.

Although the police had announced that Bahrun was the person who orchestrated the attacks, Chaidar believed that it was Aman Abdurrahman who was the real mastermind.

The convicted terrorist is serving time in a high security prison on Nusakambangan Island in Cilacap, Central Java after he was sentenced to nine years' incarceration by the West Jakarta District Court in 2010.

National Police spokesman Anton Charliyan said on Sunday that Bahrun had been a prodigy in Aman's Koran recital group before leaving for Syria.

The police have yet to release a statement in response to Bahrun's reactivated blog. (rin)(+)

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