World | Philippines
'Dead Bali bomber' behind terror plots
An Indonesian national, who was presumed killed in southern Philippines after having been on the wanted list over the 2002 Bali bombing, has met with a fugitive Islamist militant in Sulawesi.
- By Barbara Mae Dacanay, Bureau Chief
- Published: 00:28 April 10, 2008
Manila: An Indonesian national, who was presumed killed in southern Philippines after having been on the wanted list over the 2002 Bali bombing, has met with a fugitive Islamist militant in Sulawesi and was plotting terror attacks in the Philippines and other nearby areas in Southeast Asia, a local paper said.
Dulmatin, a leader of the Jemaah Islamiyah, the Southeast Asian associate of Al Qaida, met with Mas Selamat Kestari, who had escaped from the Whitley Detention Centre in Singapore in February, said The Star, which quoted an unidentified source.
"Dulmatin is still alive. The remains discovered by security forces in Tawi-Tawi were not his," said the source, adding, "Dulmatin has been very elusive and the authorities have not cornered him yet.
He is moving through the porous borders of Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines." Earlier, the Philippine military said Dulmatin died in an encounter with government soldiers in Tawi-Tawi, Mindanao.
American forensic experts conducted a DNA examination on the supposed remains in January. They have not yet released an official report. The source did not say where Dulmatin proceeded to hide after his meeting with Kestari.
Dulmatin's meeting with Kestari has resulted in the regrouping of JI leaders and members in Southeast Asia, the source said, adding that Kestari was seeking the consolidation of the region's JI forces.
Noting the impact of Kestari's recent activities, the source said, "We have to be careful. If Kestari is in Sulawesi, that means he could easily find his way to Mindanao [southern Philippines], where he could safely hide with the help of the Abu Sayyaf Group."
He said Kestari cannot stay in Indonesia "that long because the Indonesian police would really go after him".
More from Philippines
More from World
News Editor's choice
-
Allies quit ruling coalition in Nepal
Political row could trigger months of street protests and violence
-
Qatar blaze 'started at nursery'
Fire killed 19 including 13 children, at Doha’s main shopping centre
-
Jagan jailed over illegal assets
Andhra Pradesh leader accused of corruption, cheating, conspiracy
