After the death of Santoso alias Abu Wardah in an ambush in Poso on July 18, Basri took over the MIT’s leadership. Leading 15 MIT members who still defended the group, Basri kept moving from one hideout to another across Poso's forests, witnessing his followers killed or arrested one at a time.   

Basri and his wife, Nurmi Usman alias Oma, finally surrendered to Indonesian Military (TNI) personnel who were part of the Operation Tinombala task force during a raid at about 9:30 a.m. local time on Wednesday.

The arrest occurred when Basri, his wife and two MIT members, Andika Putra alias Andika alias Hilal and Sobron, were about to cross the Puna River in Tangkura village, South Poso Pesisir. In a cacao plantation in Gantinadi, a small village in Tangkura, they were caught by surprise by the Tinombala force. Andika was killed during the arrest while Sobron managed to escape.

Tinombala task force spokesperson Adj. Sr. Comr. Hari Suprapto said Basri was its second target after Santoso because of the dangerous activities he has been conducting for a long time.

Hari said he believed Basri’s arrest had further weakened his terrorist group’s power and that the potential for terrorist threats in Poso would also continuously decrease and the situation would become more conducive to peace and security.

He said there were very few possibilities for the terrorist network to expand its activities. At least, there has been no indication of the presence of either new MIT members or weaponry systems seen since the launch of a counterterrorism operation codenamed Operation Camar Maleo in 2015, which ended in January this year and was continued by Operation Tinombala.

However, Hari said, it was likely that another MIT senior figure, Ali Kalora, would take over Basri’s leadership.

Busted -- Operation Tinombala task force personnel escort East Indonesia Mujahidin (MIT) terrorist group leader Basri, alias Bagong (center), who was arrested in Tangkura village, South Poso Pesisir, on Sept. 14.(Courtesy of the 2016 Operation Tinombala Task Force/File)

Given the name Mohammad Basri Mohammad Basri bin Baco Sampe at birth, the terrorist leader is known to have a long crime record. Since joining with the MIT, Basri was apparently involved in a string of crimes, including a shooting at the North Poso Pesisir Police office on June 10, 2014, bomb attacks at the community police post in Pantango Lemba village in Poso Pesisir on Feb. 24 and 25, 2014, and a bombing in Dewua village on Oct. 9, 2014.

Basri was also reportedly involved in an attack on the Mobile Brigade (Brimob) police in Tangkura on Nov. 7, 2014, and the kidnapping of two local residents in Sedoa on Dec. 15, 2014.

The police reported that Basri, who had two other aliases, Ayas and Opa, was also involved in the kidnapping of three residents of Tamadue village in East Lore district, Poso, in 2014. He was allegedly involved in killing a resident of Taunca, South Poso Pesisir, on Sept. 18, 2014, and the beheading of three Taunca residents on Jan. 16, 2015, and three Sausu residents on Sept. 16 and 17, 2015. He was reportedly responsible for a shooting that killed First Insp.Bryan on Aug. 17, 2015.

“This long criminal record does not include crimes Basri committed before he was arrested in February 2007 over terrorist attacks and imprisoned at Ampana Prison in Tojo Una-una,” said Hari.

For 132 Military Region Command (Korem)/Tadulako commander Col.M.Saleh Mustafa, terrorist attacks in Poso after the arrest of Basri remain a possibility, especially because Ali Kalora and Furdaus alias Daus alias Barok alias Rangga are still waging guerilla warfare.

“For the time being, terrorism in Poso is still far from being at an end,” said Saleh, who is also the Operation Tinombala deputy chief. (ebf)