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E-mailThe alleged mastermind of the 2002 Bali bombings – the deadliest terrorist attack in the history of Indonesia – was killed in a shootout with the police in Indonesia, the president announced Wednesday.
Indonesian President Sosilo Bambang Yudhono confirmed that Al-Qaeda-trained bomb expert Dulmatin was killed in a police raid at an internet shop near the capital Jakarta.
“I have great news to announce to you. After a successful police raid against a terrorist hideout in Jakarta, we can confirm that one of those killed was Mr. Dulmatin, one of the top-Southeast Asian terrorists that we have been looking for,” he said.
The president delivered a speech at a luncheon made in his honor at the Parliament House in Canberra, Australia. Out of 202 people killed in the bombings of two nighclubs in Bali, 88 were Autralians.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said the Australian law enforcement agencies have worked in partnership with the Indonesian authorities to hunt down those behind the bombings. Rudd praised Indonesia on its successful wage against terrorism.
“The breakthroughs which Indonesia has made in undermining various terrorist networks have been significant,” said Rudd. “[But] we must be mindful of the fact that the challenge of terrorism continues in the future.”
Dulmatin, a 39-year-old Indonesian leader of the militant Jemaah Islamiyah and an Al-Qaeda explosives expert, was believed to have helped build a huge car bomb that was detonated just outside a nighclub filled with foreign tourists in the Bali commercial district. He was fled for the Philippines in 2006 where he went into hiding before returning to Indonesia. He was Southeast Asia's most wanted terrorist, with a $10-million bounty on his head from the United States government.
It was not immediately clear if anyone was eligible for the reward for Dulmatin's capture.
Dulmatin's death came ahead of US President Barack Obama's first visit to the country on March 20-22. Incidentally, terrorism in the region will be the focus of his talks.
It was not the first report of Dulmatin's death. In 2008, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) officials believed that his body was exhumed on the southern island of Tawi-tawi.
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