Indonesia Arrests Two JI Members

Via Reuters India -

Indonesia has arrested two more members of Islamic militant group Jemaah Islamiah (JI), a senior police official told Reuters, which could lead to the arrest of other key militants wanted for attacks in Southeast Asia.

In particular, the police official said the arrests could help lead to the capture of Noordin Mohammad Top, one of the most senior members of Jemaah Islamiah who is still on the run.

The two men -- Abdul Rohim, who also uses the name Abu Husna, and a man identified only as Agus -- were caught in Malaysia more than two weeks ago and have been transferred to a detention centre in Jakarta, according to the police official in Jakarta, who declined to be identified by name.

Abu Husna "is a member of the markaziah, the central board of the organisation," the police official said, while the man identified as Agus was involved in attacks in Sulawesi and Java, and has close links to Abu Dujana, the military commander of Jemaah Islamiah, he added.

Sidney Jones, a expert on the Jemaah Islamiah at Brussels-based think-tank, the International Crisis Group, said Abu Husna is believed to have replaced Zarkasih as the head of JI, after Zarkasih was arrested last year in Indonesia.

"Abu Husna is a central figure in the organisation and he would know everything about the current activities, command structure and so on," said Jones, who is based in Jakarta.

Abu Husna has previously been the JI central command's head of education, overseeing some two dozen or so JI schools across Indonesia, according to Jones.

The other man who was arrested could be Agus Purwanto, Jones said, adding that he had studied at the famous Islamic boarding school run by the controversial cleric, Abu Bakar Bashir, in Solo, central Java. Bashir was jailed for 30 months for conspiracy over the Bali bombings but was later cleared.