Dicky Christanto, Cirebon, West Java – Members of the recently discovered terrorist group in Cirebon planned to attack military and police targets, according to a counterterrorism operative.
"They planned to attack a mosque in a military compound and also several police stations," a field operative from Detachment 88, the National Police's counterterrorism unit, said on Thursday. "They believe that the administration is a true supporter of devilish ideology... and are infidels."
The officer, who requested anonymity, alleged that the terrorists had planned to make an larger explosion than the one triggered by Muhammad Syarif.
Syarif was the member of the group who killed himself while detonating a bomb in a packed mosque in the Cirebon Police compound in April. "They wanted the [next] blast to injure as many infidels as possible," he said.
Separately, National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Anton Bachrul Alam said at a briefing on Thursday that investigators have recovered dozens of videos of Syarif. "We have managed to save the memory card in Syarif's cellular phone, even though it was thrown into Soka River and was there for a week," Anton said.
National Police digital forensic expert Comr. Alexander Sabar, also at the briefing, said it would take all his skills to recover the complete contents of the memory card. "We were lucky enough to have been able to recover 36 video recordings from the cellular phone," Alexander said.
In one video recording screened during the press conference, Syarif said he was ready to die as a martyr.
"I was dreaming I met the late [terrorist kingpin] Noordin M. Top and he asked me to join his army later on in heaven. I also have another dream where I ran into Osama bin Laden. I am now so excited to become a martyr in the name of God," Syarif said.
The police have linked Syarif to Abu Bakar Ba'asyir, the firebrand cleric who is currently on trial at the South Jakarta District Court on terrorism charges.
"Syarif was sworn in by Ba'asyir in 2008 in Tasikmalaya with 10 other people. He was a member of Ba'asyir's Ansharut Tauhid Congregation [JAT] ever since," Anton told journalists. Syarif's brother, Basuki, was a member of the same congregation.
Ba'asyir previously rejected any connection to Syarif's group, alleging that he did not know who Syarif was.
Anton alleged that Syarif was encouraged to blow up the mosque in Cirebon by Oman Abdulrahman, another reputed terrorist leader, now held in detention in an isolation cell by the West Jakarta Police.
The police continued their search 15 additional pipe bombs the group claimed to be hiding. "We managed to find seven hidden in the Soka River. The other 15 are still missing," Anton said.
According to the Detachment 88 source, the pipe bombs were likely in the possession of Beni Asri.
Beni is one of five other terrorist suspects currently sought by the police. The other suspects include Yadi alias Hasan alias Abu Fatih alias Vijay, Ahmad Yosep Hayat alias Ahmad Abu Daud alias Raharjo, Nanang Irawan Alias Nang Ndut alias Gendut alias Rian and Heru Komarudin.
"According to the suspects, Hayat is another potential suicide bomber. Hayat has also been named as the person who formulated the Cirebon bomb plot," Anton said.
The Detachment 88 source said that Basuki, currently in police custody, had wanted to join his brother in the suicide attack. "We don't know why [Basuki] didn't do it at the time."
The police have detained 13 people and killed two in raids connected to the Cirebon group. Investigators have also confiscated dozens of bullets, two hand grenades, dozens of books and DVDs on jihad issues and several pornographic video CDs.