•    HOME   
•    NEWS   
•    BUSINESS   
•    INTERNATIONAL   
•    TECH   
•    SPORTS   
•    LIFE & TIMES   
•    OPINION   
•    MY JAKARTA   
•    BLOGS   

The premises raided by antiterror police in South Jakarta on Thursday night was the Jakarta headquarters of Jamaah Anshoru Tauhid, a conservative organization led by hard-line cleric Abu Bakar Bashir.

The news comes as police launch what appears to be a major antiterror operation in the greater Jakarta region, hitting at least three locations in the capital — Pasar Minggu and Jati Padang in South Jakarta and a hotel in Menteng in Central Jakarta — and one in Bekasi.

At least 12 arrests have been made. Those arrested are alleged to be involved in “logistics” operations — including financing — involving the military-style training of alleged terrorists in Aceh. No names have been released officially.

The National Police’s Densus 88 antiterror forces reportedly arrested seven of the men during a raid in South Jakarta on Thursday evening, though a JAT administrator, Abdurrahman, told the Jakarta Globe that five people had been taken away for questioning.

Abdurrahman, an ustad (Muslim teacher), identified the five as: Sholeh, a security guard; Yanto Fadilah and Agus (guests); ustad Mahali who was residing at the premises while he undertook further studies in the capital; and Adriansyah, a JAT administrator.

He said the antiterror raid had come as a surprise to JAT, an organization formed after Bashir — the alleged former spiritual head of terrorist group Jemaah Islamiyah — split from the Indonesian Mujahideen Council (MMI), which is looking to impose Shariah in Indonesia.

A police source has told the Jakarta Globe that they were hunting for Mustafa, alias Abu Tholut, who was allegedly linked to the Aceh terrorists.

Police have killed or captured dozens of members linked to the group, including Dulmatin, an alleged terrorist mastermind who was gunned down during a raid in Pamulang, Tangerang, in March.

Abu Tholut is a former regional commander of regional terror network Jemaah Islamiyah and a military trainer in the Hudaibiyah Camp in Mindanao, southern Philippines.

Abu Tholut was thought to have been the target of a 2003 raid in Semarang, Central Java, that supposedly pointed to Bashir’s alleged JI connections.

Police told the Globe that they believed Abu Tholut had acted as a bridge between Bashir and the Aceh terror group.

Abdurrahman denied that Bashir was associated with the Aceh group, but said that though Abu Tholut was a member of JAT, he was “non-active.”

Bashir is expected to hold a news conference this afternoon.