Manhunt for fugitive Munarman intensifies

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Sat, 06/07/2008 11:24 AM  |  Headlines

Rights champion-turned-Muslim hard-liner Munarman has borrowed a page from Noordin M. Top, the fugitive No. 1 terror suspect, in using the media to argue his case while in hiding.

Police said they have been hunting down Munarman, the Islam Troop Command (KLI) leader who claimed responsibility for the attack on participants of a pro-tolerance rally on Sunday, as far as the West Java border.

Cirebon Police chief Sr. Comr. Susno Duadji said Friday no less than 1,000 officers were involved in the manhunt in his jurisdiction alone. "The National Police chief has ordered us to comb the West Java and Central Java border to locate Munarman," he said.

Police denied The Jakarta Post's report yesterday that Munarman had surrendered in Sentul, near Bogor, West Java, on Thursday night.

A friend of Munarman had stated the latter would like to give himself up to the police rather than being arrested.

"Munarman has not surrendered or been arrested. Our personnel are still chasing him," Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Adang Firman told reporters Friday. "It will not be difficult to arrest him, but it takes time."

Police had reportedly searched for Munarman at his home in Pondok Cabe, Tangerang, and have tried to monitor his movements in Jakarta and Banten since he disappeared and refused to heed the police's call for voluntary surrender on Wednesday.

Emulating bomb maker Noordin and al-Qaeda terror group leader Osama bin Laden, Munarman sent a video recording to a private TV channel and emails to the media from his hideout. In his statement, he demands the President outlaw the minority Ahmadiyah Islamic sect in exchange for his surrender.

To help police capture Munarman, the directorate general of immigration slapped a travel ban on the suspect.

"The ban comes into effect as of today for 20 days. We have received an official request from the criminal division of the National Police," Syaiful Rahman, head of the investigation and action division at the immigration office, said Friday.

The travel ban can be extended up to one year upon the request of the Attorney General's Office.

The police have so far detained eight suspects of Sunday's National Monument attack, including leader of the Islam Defenders Front (FPI) Rizieq Shihab. The latest detainee, arrested in Karawang, West Java, on Friday, was an FPI member named Mohammad Subahan.

One of Rizieq's lawyers, Ari Yusuf Amir, said he would challenge the city police by filing a pre-trial lawsuit on Monday.

"The arrest was illegal because the police neither showed an arrest warrant nor explained the reason for arresting Habib Rizieq," he said.

On Friday afternoon more than 100 people swarmed police headquarters to show their support for the FPI leader.

Among the visitors were chairman of the Indonesian Ulema Council Kholil Ridwan and Ali Mocthar Ngabalin, head of the Central Board Council of the Indonesian Mosque Youth Assembly and a legislator who met with the detainee shortly after visiting hours were over.

Ali said he was ready to gather signatures from fellow House of Representatives members to bail Rizieq from detention. (ind/dre)

Nana Rukmana contributed to this story from Cirebon.

Copyright © 2008 The Jakarta Post - PT Bina Media Tenggara. All Rights Reserved.