Bomb expert blows himself up

2005-11-09 15:28

Jakarta - Indonesian security forces raided the suspected hide-out of one of Asia's most wanted terrorist suspects on Wednesday, fighting a gun and grenade battle with militants inside.

The al-Qaeda-linked terrorist leader was either shot to death or blew himself up to avoid capture, officials and news reports said.

Azahari bin Husin, a Malaysian accused of masterminding at least four deadly blasts in Indonesia in recent years, was believed to have been killed in the operation in Malang, a town about 850km east of Jakarta, senior police official General Gorries Mere told The Associated Press.

Local TV stations reported Azahari, who security officials have said always wore explosives around his waist to avoid being captured alive, blew himself up during the operation.

Major operation

"We suspect it is him," said Mere, Indonesia's deputy chief of detectives. He cited "men in the field" as the source of the information.

An elite anti-terror police unit raided the suspected terrorist hide-out in Malang, on Java island, at around 16:00 on Wednesday, Mere said.

Witnesses told the SCTV network they heard two explosions and gunfire before police moved in on the house that was harbouring suspected terrorists. The roof was blown off the house, according to Jakarta's Metro TV news station.

Local military commander Major General Syamsul Mapparepa said those inside the hours "were putting up stiff resistance, and were throwing grenades," state news agency Antara reported.

Officials say Azahari, aged in his 40s, is a key member of the al-Qaeda-linked terror group Jemaah Islamiyah.

Together with fellow Malaysian Noordin Mohamed Top, Azahari is accused of direct involvement in four deadly terrorist attacks in Indonesia, including the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people.

Authorities had no immediate information about whether Noordin was among those involved in Wednesday's operation, though officials have said the two men usually traveled apart.

Indonesian officials named the two Malaysians as the suspected masterminds of last month's triple suicide attack on the same resort island last month that killed 20 people. Major General Ansyaad Mbai, a top Indonesian anti-terror official, confirmed that a major anti-terror operation was under way in Malang targeting Azahari and his group.

He said he did not know whether Azahari was killed. One policeman was shot and injured, he said.

- AP