Top Indonesian terrorist is killed in raid

Indonesian police chief Hendarso Dahuri told reporters on Wednesday morning that Dulmatin was definitely dead: "At 10 o’clock this morning, we were able to identify the three people we had killed. The first is Ridwan, the second is Hasan Nur and the third is Dulmatin. The other two were his bodyguards. We are a hundred percent sure that he is Dulmatin."

The announcement came one day after several raids in the suburbs of the Indonesian capital Jakarta.

A police anti-terrorism unit raided an internet cafe in Pamulang just after Dulmatin logged himself on and killed him after he fired a shot. The police said that DNA samples taken from his mother and his son matched.

The police also seized three detonators for remote-controlled bombs in the raid.

Responsible for buying weapons and ammunition

The 39-year-old Dulmatin is suspected to have been a leading member of the terrorist network Jemaah Islamiyah. "He was responsible for organising military training, as well as for buying weapons and ammunition. He had the money and was also a bomb specialist," Indonesia’s police chief explained.

Dulmatin is thought to have been trained by al Qaeda and was accused of playing a significant role in the Bali bombings of 2002 that killed 202 people, including almost 100 Australian tourists. He is believed to have fled to the Philippines after the bomb attacks.

In 2005, the US offered a 10-million-dollar reward for Dulmatin’s capture – dead or alive.

In their raids on Tuesday, the Indonesian security forces also arrested several suspects. However, police spokesman Edward Aritonang said it would take some time before their identities were confirmed. "These men are from West Java and Jakarta. They are connected to a terrorist group that is active in Aceh and that we have been following for some time. They are probably those who collect money and weapons for the terrorist group."

Australian PM congratulates Indonesian security forces

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is currently on a state visit to Australia, whose Prime Minister Kevin Rudd congratulated the Indonesian authorities on their successful fight against terrorism on Wednesday.

"Can I say to the Indonesian authorities through President Yudhoyono how much we value their work on the ground in combating terrorism? This has been a very professional operation by the Indonesian security forces and it comes on top of other successful operations in recent times.

"This is difficult work, it is hard work and it is dangerous work. I congratulate those Indonesian security agencies which have been engaged in it. The breakthroughs which Indonesia has made in undermining various terrorist networks have been significant."

The Indonesian anti-terrorism unit conducted a series of raids against militant groups in the province of Aceh last month. According to media reports, this anti-terrorism crackdown, in which 28 suspects and three police officers have died so far, has been timed in conjunction with US President Barack Obama's visit later this month.

Author: Anne Thomas
Editor: Thomas Baerthlein