DNA testing confirms dead Indonesia terror suspects' identities

August 03, 2013
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JAKARTA, Indonesia -- Police said Thursday (August 1st) DNA testing verified the identities of two terror suspects shot dead during an East Java raid last month, sought for well over a year in connection with a string of attacks, local media reported.

Speaking to reporters in Jakarta, National Police spokesman Agus Rianto said the men killed in Tulungagung district on July 22nd were suspects Muhamad Hidayat, also known as Dayah, and Eko Suryanto, also known as Rizal, The Jakarta Globe reported.

Agus said Hidayat had been on the wanted list since March 2012 and was a known participant in a paramilitary training camp in Poso, Central Sulawesi run by the country's most wanted terror suspect, Santoso. Hidayat was believed to have raised money for the camp's activities and for weapons.

"Eko, meanwhile, was wanted since 2011 for his involvement in the Central Java terror cell led by Roki Aprisdianto and Sigit Qurdowi," Agus said. The cell was responsible for a string of bombings and attempted bombings of police stations and churches in Klaten, Solo and Sukoharjo. Only the bombers were killed in those attacks.

Their bodies were returned to relatives after testing was completed, Kompas.com reported. Two other suspects surrendered to police during the raid by the elite Detachment 88 anti-terror team.

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Members of the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) attend a 2010 rally in front of Indonesia's constitutional court as it debates a law on blasphemy. The FPI, a hardline group known for its vigilante-style attacks on businesses and individuals, has been accused of undermining democracy and rule of law in Indonesia. [Adek Berry/AFP]

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