On August 8th, Indonesian TV stations aired reports about shootout between Anti Terrorism Unit Densus 88, the police and a group of men, presumably Indonesia’s most wanted terrorist Noordin Mohammed Top and his gang, in rural Central Java town Temanggung. Top is a Malaysian citizen believed to have orchestrated bombings in island resort Bali and the more recent Jakarta’s dual bombings.
Top has been living nomadically around Java for years and has actively recruited suicide bombers, one of which was 18 year-old Dani Dwi Permana, who carried out an explosion last month at J.W. Marriott Jakarta. Dani believed that Islam is now in chaos and only Jihad can purify it.
A few days after the shootout, the media reported that the last-standing slain militant was not Noordin, it was Ibrohim, the former J.W Marriott who’s also Noordin’s sympathizer and the person who help smuggled explosive materials inside the five-star hotel.
Angry Infidel, the Tea and Politics blogger says:
Bad news: the dead man was a florist and an admirer/follower of Noordin […]
Noordin knows very well how to elude the police and has dedicated time to improve his net of supporters. They even think he is like a “pop star”, something which explain that some other guy offers himself to die in his place (and of course, the possible brainwashing as in the sects). His legend (and as a result, his admirers) and the possibility of making everyone who took part in Bali bombers’ trial of getting killed have grown these days: no prudent Govt. would have said anything about him being killed, if there was a possibility (even if it was remote) of him escaping the siege. Specially because Noording has escaped repeatedly in the past from the police. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is the first man on Noordin’s “kill list” as we have seen now.
According to online news portal Detik, Ibrohim was groomed for an attack mission on the residence of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in Cikeas [id], West Java. The same Ibrohim, 36 year-old father of four, is also identified by JI expert as one of Noordin’s sleeping army, which means that he could assimilate right back to the society soon after he fulfilled his assignment.
Blogger Patung posted maps of raids made by Anti Terrorism Unit 88 against Noordin Top’s terror cell.
On Patung’s post Parvita commented:
For one Noordin that died, there are hundreds of Noordin born. Noordin have spread his teachings. I was plainly amazed that the police managed to catch the person that will commit suicide bombing in August. I would really like to know what is in the suicide bombers mind.
Odinius also commented on Patung’s post, saying:
Good bloody riddance. Unfortunately, the extremist pigs, the sheep who follow them, and the weasels who publicly defend them will likely continue to blame anyone and everyone else for the bombings. Any rational person, though, has to conclude that this has been a problem within Indonesian Islam, and had to be dealt with in large part by Indonesian Muslims. This is exactly what happened. Not to denigrate or marginalize the role of non-Muslims Indonesians, or the assistance of foreign governments in aiding Indonesia with intelligence and funding for Densus 88, but the government’s ability to politically go out and take these mutherf***kers out has more to do with the general sense of revulsion against the bombings and the perversion of Islam that they represent. This was not really present in the earlier bombings to the degree that it has been since July.
Via Twitter, citizens expressed their support and contentment of the police and Densus 88’s accomplishment.
@yangmaulana
It was Ibrohim, not Noordin. Congratulations to the Indonesian Police and its Densus 88, which made a big step in handling terorism in Indonesia.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, on his speech [id] ahead of the Independence day commemoration, acknowledged the courages work of the national police force.
Pada kesempatan yang baik ini, saya sampaikan terima kasih dan penghargaan yang tinggi kepada segenap jajaran Kepolisian Negara Republik Indonesia yang tidak kenal lelah dan menyerah dalam memberantas terorisme di tanah air. Saya minta, aparat kepolisian dan jajaran aparat keamanan lainnya untuk tidak pernah lengah. Terus tingkatkan kewaspadaan, serta cegah dan berantas aksi teror hingga ke akar-akarnya, di manapun mereka berada, siapapun mereka, dan apapun motivasinya.