Indonesian police confirmed that DNA taken from a body killed in a terrorist raid in Central Java Thursday was identical to that of Noordin M. Top, one of the country’s most-wanted militants.
"Everything matches 100 percent. The fingerprints and the DNA tests confirm that the body is the Malaysian Noordin M Top," said national police spokesman Nanan Soekarna, speaking before a crowd of reporters on Saturday.
The forensic results put an end to months of intelligence gathering aimed at rooting out the extremist network blamed for the July 17 twin bombings at the JW Marriott and Ritz Carlton hotels that killed seven people and injured more than 50.
As cameras clicked, Soekarna flashed a winning smile and held up pictures of the bearded man considered the leader of a splinter group of the al-Qaeda-linked network, Jemaah Islamiyah (JI).
The identities of the three others killed in Thursday’s raid have not been confirmed as priority rested on testing Noordin’s DNA, Soekarna said.
The raid in Solo, a city terrorism analysts consider a prime recruiting ground for Noordin’s network, was hailed as a “major blow” to terrorism in Indonesia, and a win for the country’s national police, who have been tasked with prime responsibility for Indonesia’s internal security.
Although the US and Australian government’s have provided training and assistance to the Indonesian police, Soekarna assured reporters that Thursday’s operation was a fully Indonesian effort.
The timing of the raid comes amid a squabble between the police and the Corruption Eradication Commission that has called the security force’s credibility into question. It also comes as people in the world’s largest Muslim nation prepare to celebrate Lebaran, a holiday that marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan.
Read more on what this means for terrorism in Indonesia at Asia Times Online: Indonesia Strikes a Blow Against Terror