Two suspected Indonesian terrorists blamed for the deadly 2002 Bali bombings are plotting fresh attacks in Mindanao where one was spotted a few days ago, a top security official said Wednesday.
The pair is among 40 Indonesian militants from the al-Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiah group.
The two suspected bombers—Pitono, also known as Dulmatin, and Umar Patek—were believed to have sought refuge in Mindanao to evade a regional manhunt for their alleged involvement in the bombings on Indonesia’s Bali resort island.
The two stay together most of the time, moving through the mountainous region bordering Maguindanao and Lanao provinces, said Virtus Gil, the deputy national security adviser.
Dulmatin was monitored in the area last week, and Patek’s presence was detected by government intelligence agents.
Government forces were working with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, a Muslim rebel group engaged in peace talks with the government, to try to capture them, Gil said.
Indonesian authorities also provided information about the two, who he said were not just hiding, but were also involved in organizing terror training and planning new attacks. They have reportedly met several times with Khaddafi Janjalani, chieftain of the Abu Sayyaf Muslim extremist group, prompting a continuous military manhunt to deter their plans, he said.
“They’ll never stop plotting,” he said. “We are secure until the next bomb explodes.”
Gil spoke on the sidelines of a security conference at which an analyst briefed about 200 business executives and embassy officials on terror threats.
Andrew Tan, a Singapore-based Australian security analyst, said terror groups like Jemaah Islamiah continue to plot attacks with local insurgents across Southeast Asia.
Terrorist threats are most critical in the Philippines, Tan said.
“Most of us will agree that the situation in the Philippines is the most serious at this point given definite al-Qaeda and the presence of fundamental grievances,” Tan said.
Officials have acknowledged that widespread poverty and a lack of opportunities in minority-Muslim southern areas have helped foment unrest.
As governments strengthen their defenses, Tan warned that people will have to be prepared for a long-term battle and trade freedom for more security.
