Arrest of Foreigners in Bali Up 25% So Far This Year

Made Arya Kencana | October 17, 2010
Australian boxing trainer Michael Sacatides sits next to the 1.7 kilograms of methamphetamine he is alleged to have attempted to smuggle into Bali. Bali Police say they have arrested 41 foreign nationals so far this year, compared with 31 for the same period last year. (AFP Photo) Australian boxing trainer Michael Sacatides sits next to the 1.7 kilograms of methamphetamine he is alleged to have attempted to smuggle into Bali. Bali Police say they have arrested 41 foreign nationals so far this year, compared with 31 for the same period last year. (AFP Photo)


Jakarta. The number of foreigners arrested for committing crimes in Bali has risen 25 percent this year, most of it drug-related, and the numbers are climbing.

Police said on Sunday that from January through September, 43 foreign nationals had been arrested, mainly for drug offenses, compared with 31 for the same period last year.

“Narcotics-related crime dominates and it seems to be a continuing trend,” Bali Police chief Insp. Gen. Hadiatmoko said.

The latest tourist to be arrested was Michael Sacatides, 43, an Australian national accused of attempting to smuggle 1.7 kilograms of methamphetamine into the country on Oct. 1.

Sacatides is just the latest in a string of foreigners connected to the drug trade.

The case of Australian Schapelle Leigh Corby has generated endless attention. She was caught smuggling 4.2 kg of marijuana in 2005 that she claimed was planted in her luggage.

Corby has filed a request for clemency to the president, pleading to have her 20 years sentence reduced on the grounds she is suffering from mental illness.

But a justice official has said she shows no signs of mental illness.

Another high-profile narcotics case involves the so-called Bali Nine group. Andrew Chan, Myuran Sukumaran and Scott Anthony Rush from Australia have been sentenced to death for their role in smuggling 8.2 kg of heroin into the country. The results of a review of their case is still pending.

Police said a rise in theft cases included that of ancient sacred Hindu statues called pratima . A French national has been put on the police’s wanted list after authorities found 16 pratimas in a warehouse. He fled after the raid.

The operation followed the arrest of Italian Roberto Gamba, whom police say was caught with 144 of the statues.

“It is important that the police, immigration and tourism authorities be more vigilant,” Hadiatmoko said.

He urged Balinese to be careful about what foreigners they rented their properties to and ascertain what their intentions were.

Jakarta Post

SAS under fire over Kopassus training

SAS under fire over Kopassus training

By Indonesia correspondent Matt Brown

Updated 8 hours 26 minutes ago
Indonesian soldiers from Kopassus special forces perform at a ceremony in Jakarta

Trained with SAS: Kopassus soldiers in Jakarta (Reuters: Crack Palinggi)

Indonesia's National Human Rights Commission has criticised Australian training for the controversial special forces unit, Kopassus.

Soldiers from Australia's SAS and Kopassus are wrapping up counter-terrorism training after a hostage rescue exercise on Bali yesterday.

Australia's commander of special forces says Kopassus is working hard to overcome the concern about human rights abuses that has blighted its record.

The Human Rights Commission was established by the Indonesian government to highlight serious abuse, and it says Kopassus needs human rights training, not combat drills.

In the past it has investigated and found members of Kopassus implicated in major crimes.

It says Kopassus is changing, but vice-chairman Nur Khollis says the counter-terrorism training provided to Kopassus is not part of the solution.

"I don't think Kopassus needs it right now," he said.

"Because the most important thing for this highly-skilled unit is the knowledge of human rights. This is the main problem in several cases."

Papuan activists, protesting against human rights abuses in their province, have a similar plea.

Papuan student Oktovianus Pogau says Kopassus mistreats people there "right now".

"We respectfully request the Australian Government to stop the cooperation with Kopassus", he said.

Covert unit

The Australian training involved close-quarters fighting yesterday in Bali's international airport as Kopassus soldiers dispatched mock terrorists with ease and rescued their hostages. Several Australian soldiers were among the assault team.

Supporters of the training have argued it does not legitimise or bolster Kopassus as a whole because it is focused on Detachment 81, the counter-terrorism unit.

But the idea that it is sealed off from other sections of Kopassus is a fiction.

The ABC learned that last week - while the SAS was training Detachment 81 for their exercise - another group of officers was in town, studying the terrain.

They were not from Detachment 81, but from Sandi Yudha, the much feared covert warfare and intelligence unit of Kopassus.

For decades the unit has targeted separatists and democracy activists alike.

A week ago in Bali its members were at the airport preparing the way, mapping the terminal and gathering intelligence for their joint exercise with the SAS.

As Kopassus prepares for renewed assistance from the United States military it is reaching out to the National Human Rights Commission for training in civil rights.

It is part of an effort to satisfy American conditions on deeper ties.

The Commission is keen to oblige but vice-chairman Nur Khollis warns real change will not be easy.

"I think the most difficult thing to change is the paradigm," he said.

"It's about learning, an ethos which develops within an organisation, this takes a long time."

He says the commission's efforts to bring human rights abusers to justice have been met with a barrier of resistance and inaction - stretching from Kopassus all the way up to the president of Indonesia.

Tourist Robberies Have Bali Police Chief Talking Tough

Made Arya Kencana | September 16, 2010

Denpasar. A recent rash of robberies targeted at tourists in Bali has the provincial police chief warning that heads will roll.

The latest, on Monday night and Tuesday, saw an Australian man and a Swiss man robbed of valuables and millions of rupiah.

Bali Police Chief Insp. Gen. Hadiatmoko said on Wednesday that he had ordered officers to give priority to the cases. “If within a week the perpetrators aren’t arrested, I will personally fire the police chiefs in the jurisdictions in question,” Hadiatmoko said.

In the first incident, the Australian, identified only as Meinteith, 66, lost valuable items and cash when he was burgled while sleeping in his villa at the Bali Wisata Bungalow in Tabanan district.

The victim checked into the villa on Monday afternoon and spent the rest of the day there, going out only briefly to swim and have dinner.

When he got back he noticed the door was ajar but did not notice anything was missing. When he woke up at 7 a.m. he realized several items had disappeared, including his laptop computer, cell phone, digital camera and Rp 4.6 million ($510) in cash.

Meinteith reported his losses, which he put at Rp 23.5 million, to the police, who still have no lead. Meanwhile, the Swiss man suffered heavy losses after getting conned by a gang in Kuta on Tuesday.

The tourist, identified only as Elmar, was accosted by a group of three men and two women as he was coming out of his hotel, the Kartika Plaza Kuta, hotel security chief I Nengah Dana said.

They got him talking before inviting him to a cafe for drinks. Dana said Elmar fell unconscious soon after having a drink and when he came to, the gang told him he owed them a lot of money after losing a bet.

They took him to an ATM and forced him to withdraw Rp 5 million. They then took him to a cell phone store in Denpasar, where they forced him to buy them 10 Blackberrys.

The gang dropped Elmar back at his hotel but stayed far enough away not be caught by the hotel’s CCTV cameras. Dana said the con had cost Elmar “tens of millions of rupiah.”

http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/home/tourist-robberies-have-bali-police-chief-talking-tough/396386

Bali- Federal Police on a mission for Scott Rush

Editors Note: Later this morning the life of Bali Nine suspect Scott Rush Is on the line with an appeal from his death sentence.

We pray that the Bali Judges will be compassionate and drop the death sentence in liew of a lesser sentence.

This young wayward Australian deserves a second chance and it would be very good public relations for Bali & Indonesia if leniency was shown towards him.

We wish you good luck Scott may common sense prevail.

href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIU-DGw4KPvoP8SA9xTbLgpYXt-Ihlr7J9Pk8sGxNYfYeqL3KXeffCOfioXYVrt0bNCrCOHKBvClFEnOBiwUTUYs-VmGgMSI9-wa_4dj9VtwPPCYoKIrJhE_0Wss805JuGC0qVN4jQsqg/s1600/Bali-News-scott-rush.jpg">

Scott Rush

Death row ... Scott Rush / Pic: AFP Source: AFP

TWO high ranking Australian Federal Police have arrived in Bali and will today give testimony that could save the life of Bali Nine heroin courier Scott Rush.

Mick Keelty was commissioner when the AFP gave crucial intelligence about the smugglers' presence in Bali to their Indonesian counterparts.

Now he and the man who led the Bali Nine investigation, Deputy Commissioner Michael Phelan, will appear as witnesses for the defence as 24-year-old Rush, from Brisbane, appeals the death sentence he was given in 2006.

Rush's Jakarta-based lawyer Frans Winarta said it was important to show that Rush was only a minor player.

"He prepared his passport only a few days before his departure [to Bali] and that strengthens the theory that he is not the mastermind but he is only the courier," Dr Winarta said.

The AFP chiefs are among five witnesses expected to testify today but Rush himself is not expected to appear in Denpasar District Court.

Start of sidebar. Skip to end of sidebar.
Related Coverage

* Police bosses to testify for Rush Adelaide Now, 3 hours ago
* AFP steps up to speak for Bali Nine mule The Australian, 9 hours ago
* Keelty to testify at final Rush appeal The Australian, 19 hours ago
* Keelty on mercy mission Herald Sun, 8 days ago
* My life is in your hands: Rush The Australian, 26 Aug 2010

End of sidebar. Return to start of sidebar.

His lawyers have not asked for him to be brought from his cell to the court.

Mr Keelty, who is now retired from the AFP and who lectures at universities, and Mr Phelan, are expected to testify that Rush played only a minor role in the Bali Nine heroin syndicate.

He was merely a courier, had no knowledge of the operation or its scope and was on his first trip outside Australia when he was arrested in 2005, they will say.

Both men have provided statements which form part of the defence case filed with the courts.

Rush's lawyers submit that the statements from the AFP, together with their oral testimony to the court this week, are the new evidence needed to win a judicial review and reduction of his sentence.
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/national/federal-police-on-a-mission-for-scott-rush/story-e6freuzr-1225924327665

The new evidence, had it been known at the time of Rush's conviction, should have been capable of resulting in a lesser sentence.

Keelty to testify for Rush

Adam Gartrell, Indonesia Correspondent
September 15, 2010 - 12:39PM

AAP

Former Australian Federal Police commissioner Mick Keelty will testify at the final appeal of Bali Nine drug mule Scott Rush on Thursday as part of a last-ditch effort to save him from the firing squad.

The AFP's current deputy commissioner Michael Phelan, who led the AFP unit that tipped off Indonesian authorities about the Bali Nine, is also expected to testify in the Denpasar District Court.

Both men are expected to tell the court that Rush was only a minor player in the 2005 plot to smuggle smuggle more than eight kilograms of heroin out of Bali, not an organiser.

Their evidence is expected to be pivotal to Rush's appeal, which pushes for his death sentence to be reduced to 15 years in prison.

The appeal argues that other Bali Nine members who played similar roles were given lighter sentences, ranging from 20 years to life.

The AFP faced heavy criticism for informing Indonesian police about the Bali Nine's plans, thereby subjecting them to possible death sentences, instead of arresting them in Australia.

Three other witnesses are also expected to be called to testify.

Rush himself testified before the court last month, pleading with Indonesian authorities to spare him from the firing squad.

"I wish to say to you, my parents, my family and the community how sorry I am for the crime I have committed and the pain that I have caused," he told the court.

"I have brought much shame upon myself and my family."

If the appeal fails, Rush's last chance at survival will be to seek clemency from Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who is not known for showing mercy to drug smugglers.

Rush was just 19 when he was arrested at Denpasar airport with more than a kilo of heroin strapped to his body.

He was originally sentenced to life in prison before Indonesia's Supreme Court increased it on appeal to death.

Of the six Bali Nine couriers Rush, now 24, is the only one facing death.

So-called ringleaders Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran are also on death row and have final appeals in train.

Five others - Matthew Norman, Martin Stephens, Michael Czugaj, Si Yi Chen and Tan Duc Than Nguyen - are serving life sentences.

Courier Renae Lawrence is serving 20 years.
http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-world/keelty-to-testify-for-rush-20100915-15bwj.html

Bali nine member's appeal to overturn death sentence delayed

Bali nine member's appeal to overturn death sentence delayed
Tom Allard
August 18, 2010
Convicted drug smuggler Scott Rush failed to make a scheduled court appearance in Denpasar, Bali, today after a mix-up caused his hearing to be delayed.

Rush, a member of the so-called Bali nine drug smuggling ring, had been expected to plead his case personally to a panel of three judges as he seeks to overturn his death sentence.

In the so-called judicial review, Rush has asked for the death sentence to be commuted to a 15-year custodial term.

French Citizen Arrested Over Looted Temple Objects in Bali

Made Arya Kencana | September 13, 2010

Denpasar. Police in Bali have arrested a Frenchman believed to be the accomplice of an Italian national recently arrested on suspicion of looting local treasures.

Pascal Morabito, 65, was arrested on Monday for the illegal possession of stuffed rare snakes and turtles and priceless figurines from temples.

His arrest came 11 days after that of Italian Roberto Gamba, 50, in Badung district.

Badung Police detective chief Adj. Comr. Soma Adnyana said on Monday that police had been tracking Morabito since Gamba’s arrest, during which they had seized stolen sacred Hindu objects known as pratima .

“We suspected that Morabito was linked to the thefts of the pratima , which we unraveled days ago,” Adnyana said.

Police had only learned about Morabito’s involvement after a raid on a warehouse owned by Gamba last Tuesday.

Adnyana said that following marathon questioning, Gamba had indicated the involvement of the Frenchman.

“Based on those interrogations, we raided a villa on Monday at about 10:30 a.m. rented by Morabito on Jalan Pantai Berawa in North Kuta,” he said. “In this villa we found many of the figurines.”

Following Morabito’s arrest and interrogation, police learned that he also used a rented room on Jalan Teuku Umar Barat in Denpasar to store artifacts and stuffed animals.

“It was at this address that police found the 11 stuffed animals and sacred Hindu artifacts,” Adnyana said.

“He has so far been charged under existing regulations covering cultural heritage. We have not yet declared him a suspect in the thefts of the items.”

Adnyana added that Morabito had said the artifacts were acquired from several locations.

Bali Police Chief Insp. Gen. Hadiatmoko said that to date, police had named six suspects in connection with the thefts of the artifacts, including Gamba, the suspected supplier, Gusti Lanang Sidemen, and art shop owner Koman Sukaya.

“We believe that Gamba is involved in an international ring. We have seized his laptop computer,” Hadiatmoko said.

He said police had not yet established how many temple thefts Gamba had masterminded, but said that up to 2008 police had recorded thefts from at least 34 temples across the island.

On Sept. 2, police arrested Gamba after seizing 110 sacred Hindu objects at his residence on Jalan Bumbuk in Badung.

Adnyana said Gamba had lived in Bali for more than 10 years and was a known collector of various local treasures.

He said police had recovered sacks of ancient Balinese coins, antique kris (ceremonial daggers) and gold statues.

The Italian reportedly told police that he had been collecting the objects from locals and from Jakarta since 2006 and denied suggestions that he knew the items were sacred and looted from temples.

Police, however, are not amused. “He bought the pratima cheaply, for between Rp 500,000 [$56] and Rp 1 million,” Adnyana said.

“The evidence strongly suggests that he is a dealer who buys stolen objects.” Adnyana said that the recovered items could be worth at least Rp 2 billion.

http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/home/french-citizen-arrested-over-looted-temple-objects-in-bali/395988

Dozens of Stolen Artifacts Recovered in Bali

Made Arya Kencana | September 07, 2010

Jakarta. Police have seized 144 stolen sacred Hindu artifacts from three storage facilities in Bali after arresting the suspected thief, a 50-year-old Italian national, last week.

On Tuesday, police raided a warehouse on Jalan Mertanadi in Seminyak, where they recovered 20 artifacts depicting various deities such as the god Vishnu and sacred animals like the mythical Garuda bird.

The day before, police confiscated 24 pratimas, or religious effigies, in a raid on an art shop on Jalan Teuku Umar in Denpasar.

“These artifacts that we have confiscated are connected to the string of pratima thefts at various Hindu temples across Bali,” Adj. Comr. Soma Adnyana, chief of Bali Police’s criminal unit, said on Tuesday.

Police believed that the suspect, Roberto Gamboa, was a collector of stolen artifacts. Last week, they arrested the Italian and confiscated 110 pratimas at a villa belonging to him on Jalan Bumbuk Kerobokan in Badung district.

Police also discovered 35,000 ancient Balinese coins, several Sanskrit scriptures and golden statuettes.

Gamboa reportedly told police that the artifacts originated from several districts in Bali, including Gianyar, Tabanan and Nusa Penida, and that he planned to sell some to a dealer in Jakarta.

Police later arrested Gamboa’s alleged accomplices, Gusti Putu Okariadi and Gusti Lanang Sidemen, whom they say helped Gamboa steal the artifacts from various temples.

Komang Oka Sukaya, who operates the art shop where some of the goods were recovered, was also arrested.

Bali has had a string of thefts at temples over the past four years, all of which police have linked to Gamboa.

The first thefts occurred in 2006, around the time Gamboa said he started collecting Balinese artifacts, police said.

At least 34 temples on the island have been targeted since.

Gamboa said he was not aware he had been purchasing sacred artifacts stolen from temples. The relics were purchased from Gusti Putu and Gusti Lanang for between Rp 500,000 to Rp 1 million each ($55 to $110).

Police said the pratimas could fetch at least Rp 200 million apiece on the international artifacts market.

“We estimated more than Rp 200 billion in losses,” Adnyana said. Police suspected that Gamboa acted on behalf of a collector in Italy.

Adnyana said police were also seeking a French national in connection with the scheme.

Twenty-Nine House Damaged in Bali Clash

Monday, August 30 2010 14:10 WIB | Bali Update | Dibaca 23 kali

Singaraja (Antara Bali) - At least 29 houses were damaged and eight people injured after two neighborhood organizations at Pengastulan village in Buleleng district, Bali, clashed early Sunday.

"Some of the residents carried pointed weapons but they did not become embroiled in a physical clash. They only pelted stones, bottles and rooftile fragments at each other. The clash did not spread as the police came to restore the situation," Pengastulan village head Ketut Yasa said.

Three of the injured were in a critical condition. They were identified as Muhamad Syarif and Muhammad Azim of Kauman neighborhood organization and Putu Suarjana of Pala neighborhood organization, Ketut said.

Some of the injured were treated at a nearby hospital, while the others treated their injuries themselves, he said.

Seririt subdistrict head Putu Kariaman said the clash was the fourth of its kind in the past few years.

A source told ANTARA some of the residents threw a molotov cocktail at one of the houses but it did not cause fire.

Yasa said 23 of the houses were in Kauman neighborhood organization. They were damaged on their roofs and windows.

The two conflicting neighborhood organizations were reconciled after the security agencies held a meeting with the figures from both sides at around 2 p.m. on Sunday.(*)

Twenty-Nine House Damaged in Bali Clash

Monday, August 30 2010 14:10 WIB | Bali Update | Dibaca 23 kali

Singaraja (Antara Bali) - At least 29 houses were damaged and eight people injured after two neighborhood organizations at Pengastulan village in Buleleng district, Bali, clashed early Sunday.

"Some of the residents carried pointed weapons but they did not become embroiled in a physical clash. They only pelted stones, bottles and rooftile fragments at each other. The clash did not spread as the police came to restore the situation," Pengastulan village head Ketut Yasa said.

Three of the injured were in a critical condition. They were identified as Muhamad Syarif and Muhammad Azim of Kauman neighborhood organization and Putu Suarjana of Pala neighborhood organization, Ketut said.

Some of the injured were treated at a nearby hospital, while the others treated their injuries themselves, he said.

Seririt subdistrict head Putu Kariaman said the clash was the fourth of its kind in the past few years.

A source told ANTARA some of the residents threw a molotov cocktail at one of the houses but it did not cause fire.

Yasa said 23 of the houses were in Kauman neighborhood organization. They were damaged on their roofs and windows.

The two conflicting neighborhood organizations were reconciled after the security agencies held a meeting with the figures from both sides at around 2 p.m. on Sunday.(*)

138 Passengers Rescued After Ferry Runs Aground in Bali

Made Arya Kencana | August 27, 2010
Passengers of the ill-fated Darma Rucitra ferry being rescued in Singaraja, Bali. (Photo courtesy of Metro TV) Passengers of the ill-fated Darma Rucitra ferry being rescued in Singaraja, Bali. (Photo courtesy of Metro TV)

Jakarta Globe Roland
2:19pm Aug 27, 2010

So much about increased safety awareness safety on Indonesian ferries after numerous accidents which did cost hundreds of people their life. And I don't mean the headlined accident, while also this one is rather suspicious (why did they sail in the first place when there were rather bad "natural factors" - strong winds and heavy seas?) but bout the second featured accident which cost cost the life of 9 passengers because the ship was overcrowded and there were no life jackets available! Aren't here any basic safety measures and is there never an audit checking up on at least the safety jackets or life rafts, which, I believe are mandatory on any passenger carrying vessel!

Denpasar. Nearly 140 passengers were finally rescued unharmed from a ferry on Friday morning after it ran aground in Singaraja, Bali, on Thursday evening.

Ospar Silaban, a local official from state-owned transportation management company ASDP, told the Jakarta Globe that 138 passengers were evacuated from the ill-fated Darma Rucitra after it was left high and dry in Tanjung Gowa after a crossing from East Java.

“Our priority was rescuing the passengers and thank God all of them survived,” he said.

He said the accident was caused by “natural factors,” namely heavy seas and strong ocean currents.

The ship remains beached and salvage crews are waiting for high tide this afternoon before attempting to refloat the vessel.

On Wednesday, the Putra Romo carrying more than 26 passengers sank in Badung Strait, Bali. Nine passengers died and another two are missing, feared.

A police investigation revealed the boat was overcrowded and their were no lifejackets.

Bali Wants to Install 1,000 More CCTV Cameras

Made Arya Kenana | August 22, 2010

Denpasar. Bali is so pleased with its eyes-in-the-sky that it wants to add an additional 1,000 closed-circuit television cameras throughout the beach resort island.

Nyoman Silanawa, who heads the province’s National Politics and Public Protection Bureau, said that the cameras will go up in a major city and across eight island districts. “We have allocated a budget of Rp 22 billion ($2.4 million),” he said.

The cameras will be monitored and controlled by local police stations and the Disaster Prevention Operations Control Center.

At present, the “Island of the Gods” has monitoring cameras hooked up at 12 strategic and often tourist-heavy locations.

But the Gilimanuk port in west Bali, which serves as a major gateway to and from Java, and the Padang Bay port, which is mainly used for traffic between the island and Lombok, will also be hooked up with the cameras.

“There will also be additions at Ngurah Rai International Airport and Benoa,” he said, adding that the island’s dominant tourism industry has been a major driver of increased security programs in the province. The Nusa Dua Bali Tourism Development Center is one such example, funding the instillation of 68 CCTV units in the enclave.

Silanawa said he hoped the work would be completed quickly to build on the advances the province has made in other areas of crisis management.

“We really hope that everything will be installed and integrated by 2013,” he said.

Bali has also drawn up plans to build 33 self-contained crisis centers. “The facilities will be equipped with fire fighters, security and health care officers,” Silanawa said.

Bali Police spokesman Comr. Gede Sugianyar Dwi Putra said the installation of the cameras have changed the way law enforcement operates on the island. “We have prevented many incidents, in cluding crimes against foreign tourists,” he said.

http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/home/bali-wants-to-install-1000-more-cctv-cameras/392316

Australian Government will support any plea of clemency made by Schapelle Corby

Govt supports Corby sentence cut
29 Jul, 2010 05:03 PM
The Australian Government will support any plea of clemency made by Schapelle Corby, Foreign Minister Stephen Smith says.

Indonesian authorities are reportedly considering cutting Corby's jail sentence by a significant amount.

Corby, 33, is serving a 20-year jail term after she was arrested at Bali's airport in October 2004 with 4.1kg of marijuana in her boogie board bag.

Earlier this year she applied for presidential clemency, saying she was suffering from depression that could endanger her life.

Mr Smith said while the pursuit of clemency is a matter for Corby and her lawyers he had indicated to the Indonesian government Australia would support a plea.

"I made it clear to Indonesian authorities that if and when she formally made an application of clemency to the president that we would support it," he told reporters in Perth on Thursday.

Mr Smith said ultimately it was a matter for Indonesian processes and "we will await any decision made by the authorities".

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Indonesian police foil 'assassination plot' to kill President

CNN News- http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/05/14/indonesia.assassination.attempt/?hpt=T2


May 14, 2010 -- Updated 1121 GMT (1921 HKT)
Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is alleged to be the target of an assassination plot.
Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is alleged to be the target of an assassination plot.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
(CNN) -- A series of anti-terror raids helped foil an assassination attempt on the Indonesian president by militants, the national police chief said Friday.

"Based from our investigation and the confessions of arrested terrorist suspects, we know that their target was to assassinate the president (Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono) and other high-ranking state officials and guests," said Chief Bambang Danuri, the indonesian police chief.

Indonesian police conducted a series of raids in recent months on groups suspected of having ties to al Qaeda Aceh, a militant Islamic organization that has operated a training camp in the majority-Muslim Indonesian province of Aceh.

Police have killed 13 suspected terrorists and arrested 71 others since February, and have confiscated scores of weapons and ammunition for AK-47s and M-16 rifles.

Al Qaeda Aceh is an offshoot of Jemaah Islamiyah, the group behind the deadly 2002 bomb attacks on Bali and a pair of 2009 bombings at Western hotels in Jakarta.

Police also learned that a recently-raided militant camp had been headed by Dulmatin, the suspected terrorist behind the Bali bombings who was killed by Indonesian police in March.

"This discovery signifies that the terrorist groups have changed their tactics from bombing to armed attacks," the police chief said.

CNN's Andy Saputra contributed to this report.