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Top planners of Bali bombings 'at large'
From Maria Ressa
JAKARTA, Indonesia (CNN) -- Top planners of the Bali bombings remain at large despite Indonesian police claims that the mastermind behind the October 12 blasts was arrested last week. Information from regional investigators and intelligence documents obtained by CNN have revealed the possible involvement of a group formed by al Qaeda, called the Rabitatul Mujahideen, in the Bali attacks. "Rabitatul Mujahideen has been created at the request of al Qaeda for the purpose of facilitating interaction between Southeast Asian Mujahideen groups with South Asian and Middle Eastern Mujahideen organizations," says Rohan Gunaratna, an al Qaeda expert. Investigations into the blasts that ripped through the popular nightclub district of Bali, killing at least 180 people, have thrown light on how the al Qaeda network works. Intelligence sources say the expertise for the Bali attacks came from a senior al Qaeda operative from Yemen named Syafullah. Syafullah has been involved in a string of attacks in Yemen and the Middle East, including the 1996 bombing of U.S. military barracks in Saudi Arabia. Final planningTwo days before the Bali attacks, Syafullah traveled on a fake U.S. passport to the Indonesian town of Semarang for the final planning session, according to intelligence sources. In Semarang, members of the Indonesian cell, including a man called Mukhlas and Bali 'mastermind' Imam Samudra, joined him, the same sources revealed. That structure, analysts say, points to the involvement of the umbrella organization of jihadist groups, the Rabitatul Mujahideen. A member of KMM, a Mujahideen group in Malaysia, also played a prominent role, investigators say. Much of the initial information on the bombings came from the arrest in Malaysia of a MILF member, the largest Muslim separatist group in the Philippines. On November 5 police arrested Amrozi, a foot soldier, who admitted to having purchased the explosives used in the bombings. He was also the owner of the minivan that blew up outside the Sari Club. The man referred to as the 'ringleader' behind the attacks, Imam Samudra, coordinated the deadly chain of events. Samudra told police he used a suicide bomber -- a first for Southeast Asia if proven to be true. MukhlasSamudra reported to a man named, Mukhlas, the eldest brother of Amrozi. Earlier this year, Mukhlas replaced a man named Riduan Isamuddin, aka Hambali, as the operations chief for this cell. Hambali continues to head al Qaeda's network in the region and also sits on al Qaeda's leadership committee. An FBI document obtained by CNN said as early as January this year Hambali planned to "conduct small bombings in bars, cafes or nightclubs frequented by westerners in Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines and Indonesia." To carry out that task, Hambali asked for, and received help from, al Qaeda. As the web unravels, it is clear that homegrown groups across the region are working together, crossing borders at will -- harnessed under an anti-western ideology championed by al Qaeda. Until the war on terror is fought at that level, analysts say, the threat will remain.
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