W

anted terrorist suspect Abu Tholut, the alleged brains behind recent armed robberies in North Sumatra, is no longer in the province, a top military official says.

Based on intelligence reports from the military and police, Abu Tholut’s whereabouts is unknown, Bukit Barisan I military command chief Maj. Gen. Leo Siegers said.

“But our intel report confirms that [Abu Tholut] is no longer in North Sumatra,” Leo told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

Tholut was released from prison in 2007 having served almost four years for acts of terrorism. The 48-year-old was formerly a trainer at the Jamaah Islamiyah (JI) military camp and established military training camps in the Philippines and later in the Aceh regency of Jantho.

Tholut was put back on the police’s wanted list for his alleged involvement in a series of terrorist attacks, including an armed robbery of a CIMB Niaga bank in August.

Leo said the military was committed to assisting police investigations into the armed group of suspected terrorists in North Sumatra. He said the military had deployed personnel to a number of strategic locations in anticipation of further attacks.

The military, he said, was currently conducting an operation to find the remaining members of group who had been tracked down by the joint team to the Dolok Masihul area of Serdang Bedagai regency.

North Sumatra Police chief Insp. Gen. Oegroseno said one of the members was still on the run, carrying an AK56 assault rifle. “We will continue hunting for him. We believe he’s still in Dolok Masihul,” Oegroseno said.

A total of 11 members of the group were either killed or detained by the joint operation last week.

The eight members killed included Taufik Hidayat, who was believed to be the leader of the bank robbery in Medan and subsequent attack on Hamparan Perak Police station in Deli Serdang.

Meanwhile, three suspects were detained in a series of operations in Dolok Masihul. The three — Robin, Abdul Gani Siregar and M. Khair — were also believed to have been be involved in both the bank robbery and police station attack.

National Police chief Gen.Bambang Hendarso Danuri recently said in Medan that based on the police questioning of the three suspects, the armed group was involved in terrorism, and has been accused of frequently robbing banks in North Sumatra to fund its operations.