Indonesia raids net terror leaders
Ap, Jakarta
The head of the Southeast Asian militant network Jemaah Islamiyah was arrested along with its military commander last week, in a double blow to the group blamed for the 2002 Bali nightclub bombings and other bloody attacks, police said yesterday. Zarkasih, identified for the first time as JI's overall leader, was captured Saturday on Java island hours after Abu Dujana, said Brig. Gen Suryadarma Salim. Six other senior militants were also arrested, he said. Like other top Jemaah Islamiyah leaders, Zarkasih went by several aliases and underwent military training in Afghanistan in the late 80s. "I became the emergency head ... in 2005," Zarkasih, 45, said in a videotape shown to reporters, adding that the selection followed a police crackdown that crippled the organisation in recent years. The capture of Dujana, who as head of Jemaah Islamiyah's military unit had been Indonesia's most wanted man, was announced Wednesday. Authorities had mostly referred to him as the group's top leader, but said Friday, after intensive interrogations, that Zarkasih held that post. "From 2005 until now I was head of the military wing (of Jemaah Islamiyah)," said Dujana in another videotape Friday.
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