The Tamesis
December 24, 2024
jakarta – The national police counter-terrorism unit Densus 88 announced plans to deport 26 former members of the Islamic Group (JI) back to Indonesia following its disbandment.
Public 88 Chief Inspector. General Sentot Prasetyo said the former JI members selected for the repatriation program are Indonesians and “foreign fighters, 16 of whom are currently in Syria and 10 in the Philippines”.
He did not provide further details about the plan.
Sentot announced the plan on Saturday in Suragada, Central Java, at a ceremony attended by 1,200 people from the city and nearby areas, assisted by Densus 88 and the National Counter-Terrorism Agency (BNPT). No longer a member of the Islamic State.
The Solo ceremony was the last in a series of events attended by thousands of former Jemaah Islamiyah members in 21 regions since late June, when more than a dozen leaders announced the group's disbandment. They also renounced extremist views and affirmed their commitment to Indonesia's state and national laws.
Sentot added: “The commitment of former JI members is evident in their willingness to obey the law and facilitate our access to the 11 JI fugitives we have been pursuing for many years.”
Although he did not reveal the identity of the fugitives, he said that all weapons in their possession were handed over to Densus 88.
BNPT Chairman Comr. Gen. Eddie Hartono expressed his appreciation for the counter-terrorism team's de-radicalization plan, which led to the self-disbandment of JI.
He added that the counter-terrorism agency, together with Densus 88 and related agencies, will provide support and guidance to former JI members so that they can fully detach themselves from extremist views and reintegrate into society.
“We will also assist with the parole of Abu Rusydan and Para Wijayanto,” Eddy said, referring to two former Jemaah Islamiyah leaders serving time in different prisons. was one of those who announced the organization's disbandment six months ago.
Abu, also known as Tori Kudin, has been convicted twice on terrorism charges. He was arrested in 2021 for supporting a terrorist group while he was a member of Jemaah Islamiyah's advisory board. He was subsequently convicted in 2022 and sentenced to six years in prison in Cikeas Prison in Bogor, West Java.
Twenty years ago, in 2004, he was arrested for harboring Ali Ghufron and subsequently sentenced to 3.5 years in prison. One of the masterminds and executed by firing squad in 2008.
Parra, a former leader of Jemaah Islamiyah, was sentenced to seven years in prison in 2020 and is currently serving his sentence in a Jakarta prison.
Imtihan Syafi'i, one of JI's former leaders who participated in the Surakarta ceremony, said some 90 JI-affiliated pesantren (Islamic boarding schools) across the country have started to host classes in accordance with the state's Curriculum changes were made to the syllabus and textbooks that encouraged extreme ideologies were removed.
“We evaluate our teachings, especially the behaviors and ideas that lead to extremism. However, this will not happen overnight,” Imtihan said.
Law Minister Supratman Andi Agtas, Social Affairs Minister Saifullah Yusuf and National Police Chief Listio Sigit Pula Listyo Sigit Prabowo also attended the dissolution ceremony of Jemaah Islamiyah held in Solo.
Listio later said in a statement that authorities “welcome the return of former Jemaah Islamiyah members to the Indonesian state.”
JI was behind some of the country's deadliest terrorist attacks in the early 2000s. These include the Bali bombings that killed 202 people, most of them Australians, the 2003 suicide bombing at the JW Marriott Hotel in Jakarta that killed 12 people and injured 150, and the 2004 suicide bombing outside the Australian Embassy. A car bombing killed 9 Indonesians and injured more than 180 people.
Police have arrested dozens of Jemaah Islamiyah members over the past 20 years, including the group's spiritual leader, Abu Bakar Ba'asyir, who is serving a 15-year prison sentence on terrorism charges He was released in 2021 after 10 years and his sentence was later commuted.
—Suherdjoko contributed to this story.
