Indonesian Anti-terror Unit Arrests Fugitive Yudi Lukito Kurniawan In Sulawesi

By Mohd Iswandi Kasan Anuar

JAKARTA, Sept 4 (Bernama) -- Densus 88 Anti-Terror, the counter-terrorism unit of the Indonesian National Police, announced the arrest of Yudi Lukito Kurniawan in Gorontalo province, Sulawesi Island, on Tuesday.

In a statement, Densus 88 spokesperson Brigadier General Aswin Siregar said Yudi Lukito had been evading capture since 2016 by altering his identity.

He confirmed that Yudi Lukito has a background of extremist training, attended Camp Hudaibiyah in the Philippines between 1998 and 2000 and participated in the Muqoyama Badar para-military training in East Java, linked to the Jemaah Islamiyah group.

Aswin revealed that Yudi Lukito was first detained by Densus 88 in 2003 for possessing a long-barrelled firearm, which was linked to another suspect, known as UM, involved in the Bali Bombing 1 case.

In 2012, Kurniawan joined the Jemaah Ansor Tauhid group and was involved in a programme to send personnel to Yemen as part of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula’s (AQAP) global jihad.

According to Aswin, Yudi Lukito travelled to Yemen under the guidance of an individual identified as Abu, who has also been apprehended by Densus 88 for his role in the Jemaah Ansharut Sharia group.

While in Yemen, Yudi Lukito reportedly received orders from a senior AQAP figure known as AM and AZ to conduct a terrorist attack on the Singapore Stock Exchange.

In 2015, he attempted to enter Singapore by sea but was turned away by immigration authorities and deported to Batam.

Investigators found a Hizbut-Tahrir Indonesia propaganda leaflet, a passport in Yudi Lukito Kurniawan’s name, and Singapore’s immigration inspection document, he added.

-- BERNAMA