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Indonesian terrorist found supplying money to extremist networks within the region
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Terrorist convict Muhammad Bahrun Naim Anggih Tamtomo, known as Bahrun Naim, attends a hearing in Surakarta District Court, Feb. 21, 2011 in Central Java. He was accused of being behind the terrorist attack on Jl. M.H. Thamrin, Jakarta, on Jan. 14. (Antara/Burhan Aris Nugraha )
A
n Indonesian terrorist is pumping money into militant cell networks in Malaysia, the Philippines and Indonesia to facilitate attacks in these three countries.
Bahrun Naim, who has been identified as the key militant, is believed to be the commander of Katibah Nusantara, a group of Indonesian and Malaysian Islamic State fighters formed in late 2014.
Bukit Aman Special Branch Counter Terrorism Division head Deputy Comm Datuk Ayob Khan said they had detected Bahrun contacting Malaysian IS members and instigating them to target certain western interests, the government and its security forces.
“He also channelled funds and issued similar orders to militants in Indonesia and the Philippines,” he said in his keynote address at the IACSP Asean Security Symposium here yesterday.
Bahrun had also secured a lot of funds, said DCP Ayob.
“When you have funds, you can launch large scale attacks. If you look at al-Qaeda previously, the money that came from Afghanistan was used to finance the Bali bombings.
“That is what we are worried about. We have to cut their channels,” he said, adding that two other influential Indonesian militants were Bahrum Shah and Abu Jandal.
Current developments in a neighbouring country, where former Jemaah Islamiyah members were being released in stages, was also a major concern, added DCP Ayob.
“These detainees possess the expertise to launch large scale attacks and they have established networking groups operating both at regional and global stages,” he said.
DCP Ayob also called on law enforcement agencies and religious experts to adopt a comprehensive, holistic and integrated approach in explaining the deviant ways of the ideology to the global Muslim community. Since February 2013, 239 suspected militants, including 30 foreigners, have been detained by the Counter Terrorism Division.
DCP Ayob added that 90 Malaysians were also identified to have enlisted with IS.
Twenty-four have been killed, including seven as suicide bombers.
The three latest deaths are Hasan Zakaria, 25, a militant known only as “Abu Salim” and Muhammad Izzul Imam Mohd Isa.
