Indonesia tightens security after threat against SBY

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta, Wed, 11/05/2008

The presidential Cabinet is remaining vigilant after a terror threat against President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was posted on the Internet, allegedly by the three Bali bombers who are facing imminent execution.

Presidential spokesman Andi Mallarangeng told reporters in Jakarta on Tuesday that the state would prevent any attacks and would take appropriate action against the persons who posted the threat.

"Threats against the President and state officials should not be underestimated. It is terror," he said.

"The state will definitely take appropriate action to protect the officials and go after anyone involved in the threat."

He said the threats had not distracted the President from his daily tasks.

The three Bali bombers -- Amrozi, Imam Samudra and Muklas -- are on death row at Nusa Kambangan Penitentiary, Central Java, and are scheduled to face firing squads this week.

They were found guilty of masterminding and carrying out the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people, including 88 Australians.

Andi said the execution orders were legally binding and would be followed through.

The threat was posted on www.foznawarabbilkakbah.com in Indonesian, Arabic and English. The announcement called on Muslims to wage a "war against and kill" Yudhoyono and other senior officials in retaliation for the executions.

A lawyer for the bombers, Fahmi Bachmid, said the letter was not written by his clients, AFP reported.

The Attorney General's Office (AGO) called on the public not to be provoked by the threat.

"The Bali bombers' execution is a legal process. It has nothing to do with religion," AGO spokesman Jasman Pandjaitan said.

He said Attorney General Hendarman Supandji and assistant attorney general for general crimes Abdul Hakim Ritonga had learned of the web threat Monday. Their names were among those listed as recommended targets in revenge for the executions.

Commenting on the threat, National Police chief detective Comr. Gen. Susno Duadji said he had ordered a team of detectives from the cyber crime unit to investigate the case.

"We are going to find out very soon whether the statement made on the web site is serious or not as I have already coordinated with detectives from the cyber crime unit to start investigating the statement," he told reporters.

AC Manullang, an intelligence expert, said the statement resembled psy-war tactics used by terrorists to disrupt public order.

"Behind the statement, they just want us to understand that they are still alive," Manullang, who is also a former director at the National Intelligence Agency (BIN), told The Jakarta Post.

Therefore, he said, state officials and the public should take this into account in overcoming their worry.

"Double guards at strategic places and facilities, including residences of foreign ambassadors whose countries were targeted by the terrorists," he added.

He said he expected the public not to overreact to the threat. "We must remember to stay alert but remain calm at the same time."