One of the attackers in the Jakarta bombing on Jan 14 made a phone call to a Malaysian number before the incident

Jakarta bomber called Malaysian number, says SB chief Fuzi

THE STAR

Indonesian activists shout slogans and hold a banner reading 'We are not afraid' in front of the site of a bombing in Jakarta, Indonesia, 15 January 2016. - EPA

 

KUALA LUMPUR: One of the attackers in the Jakarta bombing on Jan 14 made a phone call to a Malaysian number before the incident, Bukit Aman Special Branch director Datuk Seri Mohamad Fuzi Mohd Harun (pic) said.

He said the information was obtained based on a forensic investigation conducted by Indonesian police.

"We (Malaysian police) are now investigating into this new finding," he told reporters on the sideline of the two-day International Conference on Deradicalisation and Countering Violent Extremism (IDC) 2016, here.

In the Jan 14 bombing and firearm attack at Jalan MH Thamrin, seven people including five terrorists died at the scene, while more than 30 people including five policemen were seriously injured. A day later, one of the injured was reported to have died.

Jakarta police chief Tito Karnavian was reported as saying that based on intelligence and information, police had strong reasons to believe Muhammad Bahrun Naim, the founder of Katibah Nusantara group, who wanted to be the leader of Islamic State in the Southeast Asian region, was the mastermind of the attack.

Fuzi, however, said based on investigations, none of the attackers involved in the Jakarta bombing were Malaysians.

On the Malaysian Islamic State movement, Fuzi said police had determined that there had been communication between Malaysian IS elements and Malaysians in Syria. - Bernama