Police Arrest Alleged Terrorist Bomber
An alleged member of regional terrorist group Jamaah Islamiyah (JI) had been arrested for his alleged role in a church bombing in December 2000 and for hiding a Bali bomb suspect, National Police said Thursday. The suspect, identified as 52-year-old Zoefri Yoes, alias Datuak, was arrested in Kalimalang, East Jakarta, on May 9 and has been transferred to Pekanbaru Police Headquarters for questioning. Sr. Comr. Zainuri Lubis, from National Police Headquarters, said Zoefrie was suspected of involvement in a church bombing in the Riau capital of Pekanbaru on Christmas Eve, 2000. “He knew about the plan and helped store explosives (at the church),” Zainuri told reporters. No one was hurt in the blast, one of a series directed against churches across the country that night that claimed 19 lives. Zainuri said the suspect became involved in the bombing to revenge the deaths of Muslims in protracted religious fighting with Christians in the Maluku islands. Full Story