Indonesia: Police find cache of explosive materials

Jakarta, March 22: Indonesian anti-terrorist police found a huge cache of weapons and explosive material in a Central Java house following tips from suspects arrested earlier this week, a spokesman said today.

Officers shot dead on Tuesday night a suspected militant, wounded one of his companions and arrested several others believed to have links with Abu Dujana, the leader of Southeast Asian militant network, Jemaah Islamiah.

During the raid, police found three firearms, 200 detonators, 20 kg of TNT, hundreds of bullets and large amounts of chemicals that could be used to make bombs, national police spokesman Sisno diwinoto said.

Asked whether police were closer to catching Dujana, Adiwinoto said: ''Yes, we are sure and optimistic. We are moving forward step by step.'' Dujana is wanted in connection with two deadly car-bombings in Jakarta, one at the JW Marriott Hotel and the other in front of the Australian embassy.

Jemaah Islamiah has been blamed for launching those attacks as well as the 2002 Bali blasts that killed 202 people, many of them foreign tourists. Indonesia has already arrested hundreds for involvement in those strikes or their links to the group.

The crackdown and differences among members over tactics led to changes in Jemaah Islamiah that saw Abu Dujana emerge as head of the group after the death in 2005 of master bomb-maker Azahari Husin.

Authorities say several important militant leaders remain at large. Finding them is complicated by the operation of individual cells whose members do not necessarily know about the activities of others, and by ideological and tactical splits.

Malaysian national Noordin M. Top, considered a mastermind of the bombing attacks and on the run for years, has been called the most wanted fugitive in Southeast Asia.

But establishing his current clout within Jemaah Islamiah is difficult, police officials said.

An estimated 85 percent of Indonesians are Muslims. Most are considered moderate, but a militant minority has been increasingly vocal.

Reuters