Asmar Latin Sani
Encyclopedia
Asmar Latin Sani, from West Sumatra
, was the suicide bomber who detonated the car bomb
in the August 5 2003 Marriott Hotel bombing
. His severed head was later found on the fifth floor of the building.
Before the Marriott Hotel bombing Azahari Husin
was known to have stayed with him, at his Bengkulu
home on the island of Sumatra
Indonesia
.
On May 5, 2006 the International Crisis Group
released a report entitled Terrorism in Indonesia. It described the events leading up the attack;
Asmar Latin Sani was a member of Laskar Khos, an Arabic phrase which means "special force", a group is that formed inside the al Qaeda -linked Jemaah Islamiyah
group which is believed responsible multiple attacks across Indonesia including the 2002 Bali bombing
the 2005 Bali bombing and the Jakarta embassy bombing.
A week after the Marriott attack al Qaeda claimed responsibility via the Arab
media station Al Jazeera
, saying;
West Sumatra
West Sumatra is a province of Indonesia. It lies on the west coast of the island Sumatra. It borders the provinces of North Sumatra to the north, Riau and Jambi to the east, and Bengkulu to the southeast. It includes the Mentawai Islands off the coast...
, was the suicide bomber who detonated the car bomb
Car bomb
A car bomb, or truck bomb also known as a Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Device , is an improvised explosive device placed in a car or other vehicle and then detonated. It is commonly used as a weapon of assassination, terrorism, or guerrilla warfare, to kill the occupants of the vehicle,...
in the August 5 2003 Marriott Hotel bombing
2003 Marriott Hotel bombing
The 2003 Marriott Hotel bombing occurred on 5 August 2003 in Mega Kuningan, South Jakarta, Indonesia. A suicide bomber detonated a car bomb outside the lobby of the JW Marriott Hotel, killing twelve people and injuring 150. All those killed were Indonesian with the exception of one Dutch...
. His severed head was later found on the fifth floor of the building.
Before the Marriott Hotel bombing Azahari Husin
Azahari Husin
Dr. Azahari bin Husin was a Malaysian who was believed to be the technical mastermind behind the 2002 Bali bombing. He was killed in a police raid on his hideout in Indonesia in 2005. He was nicknamed the "Demolition Man".-History:He received extensive bomb training in Afghanistan...
was known to have stayed with him, at his Bengkulu
Bengkulu
Bengkulu is a province of Indonesia. It is on the southwest coast of the island of Sumatra, and borders the provinces of West Sumatra, Jambi, South Sumatra and Lampung. The capital and largest city is Bengkulu city. It was formerly the site of a British garrison, which they called Bencoolen...
home on the island of Sumatra
Sumatra
Sumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 with a population of 50,365,538...
Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
.
On May 5, 2006 the International Crisis Group
International Crisis Group
The International Crisis Group is an international, non-profit, non-governmental organization whose mission is to prevent and resolve deadly conflicts around the world through field-based analyses and high-level advocacy.-History:...
released a report entitled Terrorism in Indonesia. It described the events leading up the attack;
In January 2003, Rais, Noordin and Azhari moved to Bengkulu, where a group of JI members lived, including Asmar Latin Sani, who became the Marriott suicide bomber. Noordin and Azhari planned the bombing there as a way of putting the explosives to good use. JI members in Bengkulu, Lampung, and Riau were involved in some planning and logistical support but were not told the target. Interestingly, Noordin began to plan for a spectacular attack with some of the Bengkulu members just as others from their wakalah were taking part in a program to refresh their military skills, as a response to the exposure and arrests that followed the Bali bombings. For most of the top JI leadership, this was a time for training and consolidation – not new attacks. But Hambali had set the precedent of going off on his own, and Noordin followed it.
The next stages of the operation involved small teams with ties to one another beyond the JI affiliation. Getting the explosives from Dumai to Bengkulu via Pekanbaru, Riau, in February 2003 and securing additional materials such as detonators involved Noordin, Azhari, Rais, Toni Togar, and a new team member, Masrizal bin Ali Umar. alias Tohir, another Ngruki alumnus and Luqmanul Hakiem teacher. He was a close friend of Rais and would have been trusted completely by the others.
After the explosives reached Bengkulu safely as unaccompanied baggage on an ordinary intercity bus, they were stored at the house of Sardona Siliwangi, another Ngruki student and JI member. At the time the Marriott plot was being hatched, Sardona, who lived in Bengkulu, was working with Asmar Latin Sani to set up a new Ngruki-like pesantren there, and it was he who opened a bank account in March 2003 to facilitate financial transactions for Noordin.
Asmar Latin Sani was a member of Laskar Khos, an Arabic phrase which means "special force", a group is that formed inside the al Qaeda -linked Jemaah Islamiyah
Jemaah Islamiyah
Jemaah Islamiah , is a Southeast Asian militant Islamic organization dedicated to the establishment of a Daulah Islamiyah in Southeast Asia incorporating Indonesia, Malaysia, the southern Philippines, Singapore and Brunei...
group which is believed responsible multiple attacks across Indonesia including the 2002 Bali bombing
2002 Bali bombing
The 2002 Bali bombings occurred on 12 October 2002 in the tourist district of Kuta on the Indonesian island of Bali. The attack was claimed as the deadliest act of terrorism in the history of Indonesia according to the current police general, killing 202 people,...
the 2005 Bali bombing and the Jakarta embassy bombing.
A week after the Marriott attack al Qaeda claimed responsibility via the Arab
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
media station Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera is an independent broadcaster owned by the state of Qatar through the Qatar Media Corporation and headquartered in Doha, Qatar...
, saying;
"This operation is part of a series of operations that Dr. Ayman al-Zawahiri has promised to carry out,"
"This is a fatal slap on the face of America and its allies in Muslim Jakarta, where faith has been denigrated by the dirty American presence and the discriminatory Australian presence."
External links
- "Marriott blast suspects named", CNN
- "Marriott Hotel in Jakarta reopens", Xinhua
- "Terrorism in Indonesia: Noordins Networks", International Crisis GroupInternational Crisis GroupThe International Crisis Group is an international, non-profit, non-governmental organization whose mission is to prevent and resolve deadly conflicts around the world through field-based analyses and high-level advocacy.-History:...
- "Combating JI in Indonesia" Ng Boon Yian
- Jemaah Islamiyah Shown to Have Significant Ties to al Qaeda
- Learning by Doing:Al Qaeda's Allies in Southeast Asia
- Terrorism Perpetrated and Terrorists Apprehended