JI militant sent explosives to Indonesia's Poso: report
Posted: 17 April 2007 1931 hrs

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JAKARTA - A captured militant from the Jemaah Islamiyah extremist group sent explosives to Indonesia's religiously divided Poso to be used in bombing attacks, a report said Tuesday.

Abu Isa alias Qomari Sutarjo said he sent 120 kilograms (264 pounds) of TNT to Poso, on Sulawesi island, through an intermediary before his capture by anti-terror police last month.

"It (the explosive) was planned to be used in Poso," Abu was quoted as saying from his jail cell by the Media Indonesia newspaper.

The comments are certain to intensify concerns that the Al-Qaeda linked JI
group is fuelling unrest in the Poso area, where Muslims and Christians live in roughly equal numbers. JI has been blamed for other deadly attacks in
Indonesia.

Violence flared in Poso town and the surrounding district in 2000 and 2001, pitting Muslims against Christians and leading to about 1,000 deaths.

Intermittent violence and tension have continued since.

Poso was thrown into the international spotlight in 2005 when Islamic militants beheaded three teenage Christian schoolgirls, a crime that drew wide condemnation.

Two home-made bombs exploded last Sunday in Poso, but caused no casualties.

South Sulawesi police chief Badrodin Haiti said the explosives were home-made bombs using PVC casing and containing metal shards.

Abu was captured with six other militants in raids in Yogyakarta. The March arrests led to the discovery of hidden arsenals of guns, ammunition and explosives. - AFP/ir