Imam Samudra Delivered to Jakarta Police Headquarters - 2002-11-25

Indonesian police have transferred Imam Samudra, the main suspect in the bombings of two nightclubs on the tourist island of Bali that resulted in the deaths of nearly 200 people and injuries to many others, to Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, for interrogation. The terrorist Imam Samudra was taken to Jakarta police headquarters early this morning in an armored vehicle accompanied by a convoy of other armored vehicles. He will be interrogated about his role in the recent terrorist attacks in Bali and other terrorist attacks in Indonesia, including a series of explosions at churches ahead of Christmas two years ago. The police say they are also trying to investigate the extent of Imam Samudra's connections with a regional militant group known as Jamaah Islamiyah. An American weekly reported in its current issue that Indonesian authorities are pursuing one of the senior operatives of the terrorist organization Al-Qaeda, believing he played a key role in the recent bombings at the two nightclubs in Bali. Time magazine writes that the suspect is a Yemeni national named Saifullah. It is said that Saifullah is a long-time member of the Al-Qaeda terrorist network and was also involved in the bombing of a U.S. military barracks in Saudi Arabia in 1996. The Time magazine report, citing intelligence experts, stated that the Yemeni suspect is one of three so-called 'main suspects' who constituted the highest level of terrorist operations in Bali. According to the same report, a Malaysian national named Zubair, who fought in Afghanistan, is also being pursued, as well as an Indonesian militant whose name is said to be Siyawal. Indonesian officials have not commented on this report and have not directly linked Al-Qaeda to the terrorist attacks in Bali. Investigators had previously stated that all suspects are Indonesian nationals.