Top Militan Noordin M Top Is Not Dead
News 11:27 AM
Indonesian police have confirmed that the body of a man killed during an 18-hour siege at a Central Java farmhouse on Saturday is not most wanted terrorist Noordin M Top, but instead a hotel florist that police have labeled the "field operator" for the bombings of two luxury Jakarta hotels last month.Earlier media speculation, carried live on some Jakarta TV channels, reported that Noordin wa sthe man killed during the siege, something police never confirmed.
At a press conference on Wednesday morning, the head of the National Police center for medical and health, Brig. Gen. Eddy Saparwoko, confirmed that the body was that of Ibrahim, a florist who went missing from his job at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel following the July 17 blast. The other bombing was at the JW Marriott Hotel, which is next door.
Police used DNA testing to identify the body, after taking samples from Noordin's family in Malaysia and Ibrahim's relatives in West Java.
Ibrahim, also known as Boim, 40, worked at the hotel and was allegedly a key player in the terrorist cell that orchestrated the twin suicide bombings, providing inside information about the premises and helping smuggle in the explosives that killed seven bystanders.
At the press conference, police showed CCTV footage in which Ibrahim appeared to be surveying parts of the lobby and restaurant in the hotel.
National police spokesman Nanan Soekarna described him as the "field commander" for the operations. Police said he had been a member of Jemaah Islamiah (JI) since 2000.
"He was the planner, organizer, controller, operator of JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton bombings," Soekarna said.
A police source said that Ibrahim had moved through several cities in Central Java before arriving in Temanggung, Central Java, where the weekend shootout occurred. His family had reported him missing after the bomb blasts on July 17 and initially suspected he had been killed after they were no longer able to reach his mobile phone.
The Jakarta Globe cited police sources on Monday stating that the body was likely that of Ibrahim.
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