– PALU CELL

In 04/2003 the Indonesian police arrested in Central Sulawesi and the town of Palu 5 suspects of belonging to an Islamic terror cell. 

Two cell members- Muhammad Fauzan and Nizam Khaleb, were convicted by the Palu District Court, on 10/28/2003, and were jailed for six years fore being INDONESIAN JI members, hiding its members and hiding weapons for the Jamaah Islamiyah. The sentence, probably, referred to the arrest of a junior INDONESIAN JI member Basuki Rahmat in Jakarta in 09/2003, who was sheltered by the two defendants after the Bali ‘02 Bombings.  

Two other cell members Firmansyah, nick name Iskandar, and Fajri, nick name Yusuf, were each sentenced, on 10/28/2003, to five years in jail for helping to finance INDONESIAN JI operations in Palu. They were also found guilty of assisting self-confessed Jemaah Islamiyah member Achmad Roichan, who was sentenced for nine year imprisonment for possession of explosives and helping to hide Ali Ghufron, known as Mukhlas, one of the main perpetrators of the Bali 02 bombings. Achmad Roichan actually found shelter at Firmansyah’s house although the police had posted photos of Achmad Roichan all over the place.

Aang Hasanuddin was sentenced to three years in jail for not informing police of the activities of Firmansyah and Fajri.  

On 05/22/2004 the Central Sulawesi Court of Appeal ruled there had been Insufficient evidence to convict the three and ordered to drop the charges against Firmansyah, Fajri and Aang Hasanuddin. After the prosecution appealed to a higher court Firmansyah was released from jail at early 2007, serving almost 4 years, along with Nizam Khaleb. 

On 05/28/2004, the Indonesian chief prosecutor in the case, Ferry Silalahi, was gunned down after he received, few days earlier, a bomb threat to his cell phone.

 

 

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