Indonesian Police Say DNA Confirms Most Wanted Terror Suspect Is Dead

Jakarta, 19 Syawwal 1437/4 July 2016 (MINA) – Indonesia’s national police confirmed through DNA testing that the country’s most wanted terrorism suspect had been killed during a gun battle earlier in the week on Sulawesi Island, the police announced Saturday.

The police said its laboratory had confirmed the identify of Abu Wardah, better known as Santoso. He was the leader of the Mujahedeen of Eastern Indonesia, a terrorist cell that has professed allegiance to the Islamic State.

Santoso and one of his followers were killed on Monday during a gunfight with Indonesian security forces near the central Sulawesi Province town of Poso, which has long been a hotbed for terrorist activity.

Around 20 members of his terrorist cell remained at large, nytimes.com reported.

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“From the DNA test results, it’s positive and confirmed that one of the corpses is Santoso,” said Brig. Gen. Boy Rafli Amar, a national police spokesman.

Santoso, 40, and his cell grew to national prominence in the past several years by carrying out attacks on security forces, in particular the police, as well as training militants across the country. Santoso’s group has included Uighurs from the western Chinese region of Ningxia.

Last year, President Joko Widodo of Indonesia made it a priority to increase efforts to capture or kill Santoso, establishing a joint military-police task force that included fighter jets to support the mission.

In March, the United States placed Santoso and the Mujahedeen of Eastern Indonesia on its global terrorist designation list.

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“Indonesia has pre-empted the creation of a wilayah in Southeast Asia,” said Rohan Gunaratna, a terrorism expert at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, referring to an autonomous Islamic governorate.

Indonesia has suffered multiple terrorist attacks carried out by Islamic militants since 2000, including bombings of Christian churches, nightclub bombings on the island of Bali, and attacks on upscale Western hotels and the Australian Embassy in the capital, Jakarta. (T/R07/R01)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)

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