Indonesia Bans Jemaah Islamiyah After Malaysia Arrests Leaders On Way to Syria
By Jonathan Winer
When Jemaah Islamiyah leaders Agus Purwantoro and Abu Husna were captured in Malaysia in mid-April they were seeking false travel documents in preparation for meetings in Syria with an unspecified "international terrorist network," according to reports citing Indonesian and Malaysia police.
Abu Husna was alleged to be the current leader of JI as of the time of his arrest. What were these two senior JI officials doing going together on a high-risk mission to Syria, which ultimately led to their being taken down? At this point, one can only guess, but the most likely possibilities are all disturbing.
A positive note is that the arrests were the direct result of Indonesian/Malaysian counter-terrorism cooperation, and both governments have developed increasingly firm positions against JI. Under its current Prime Minister, Malaysia has long been focused on shutting down JI. Indonesia's position has in the past not always been so clear, as a result of unfavorable court decisions and the posturing of some political forces.
But on April 21 an Indonesian court declared Jemaah Islamiah to be an illegal, prohibited organization. Previously, the Indonesian Government had refused to ban JI, even after its proven involvement in the Bali attacks. Now, the South Jakarta District Court has sentenced JI's former leader, Zarkasih, and military commander Abu Dujana, to 15 years on terrorism charges. In doing the Chief Judge declared JK to be a "forbidden corporation," for the first time banning it in Indonesia.
The international character of JI's activities and background is also highlighted by these convictions. Prior to becoming JI's top military offciail, Dujana had taught at Islamic schools in Indonesia and Malaysia.
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