Farouk Arnaz, Jakarta – A string of arrests on terror suspects in Java has revealed a resurrection of the Southeast Asian militant organization Jemaah Islamiyah in the country, a police source said Wednesday.

"The new JI [Jemaah Islamiyah] cell is very neat and organized; they have a management, soldiers and an Amir [leader]. We estimate them to have at least 3,000 soldiers and we think the Amir is a returning old player," said a source within the National Police anti-terror squad, Densus 88, who spoke under conditions of anonymity to the Jakarta Globe.

The source added that some of the terror suspects nabbed by police last week were old fugitives who were allegedly involved in the 2004 Poso bombing in Central Sulawesi.

The explosion in Tentena market was carried out by two cells working under Eko Budi Wardoyo, an Islamic cleric who was motivated by revenge against Poso's Christian community for their role in the region's three-year sectarian conflict. Eko was arrested and tried in 2010 before receiving a 10-year jail sentence.

Religious clashes in the region have left around 2,000 people of both faiths dead, displacing as many as 100,000 citizens.

Extremists under Eko's command have been on the run for nearly a decade, during which they formed a new cell, according to the source, adding that the new JI faction managed to collect sufficient funds from their volunteers to pay their soldiers a decent monthly salary.

"They are also constantly training in various locations, such as Parangtritis in Yogyakarta, Bukittinggi in West Sumatra and Medan in North Sumatra," he said.

"The Klaten [Jentral Java] network we discovered last week appeared to have some kind of arms industry," the source added, describing a welding workshop in the Trucuk subdistrict where the network produces homemade weapons.

Police detained five terror suspects in the area last week, identified as Arif, Arifin, Rofiq, Slamet and Yusuf.

They were successfully detained following Monday's arrest of Rifki, who also goes by Bondan and Royan, at a restaurant in Indramayu, West Java for his alleged involvement in the Poso riots of 2000, the 2005 Tentena market bombing and a military training camp in Moro, the Philippines.

The cell Rifki was in charge of was known for its skills in assembling weapons. National Police spokesman, Brig.Gen Biy Rafli Amar said the suspects bought airsoft guns as models and produced their own bullets.

Source: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/arrests-reveal-jemaah-islamiyahs-return/