Posted by: Roy Tupai on 7 December 2005 @ 10:06 pm

Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer says it is only a matter of time until police capture Indonesia’s most wanted terrorist, Noordin Mohammad Top.
Noordin is wanted for involvement in a string of bombings in Indonesia that have claimed the lives over 250 people, including 92 Australians. The bombings have been blamed on regional terror network Jemaah Islamiyah.

Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer says it is only a matter of time until police capture Indonesia’s most wanted terrorist, Noordin Mohammad Top.Noordin is wanted for involvement in a string of bombings in Indonesia that have claimed the lives over 250 people, including 92 Australians. The bombings have been blamed on regional terror network Jemaah Islamiyah.

Police have said they are closer to finding Noordin after tracking down and killing his Malaysian compatriot, bomb-maker Azahari Husin, during a raid last month.

Downer, who is on a two-day visit to Indonesia, on Wednesday (7/12/05) told students at the Jakarta Center for Law Enforcement Cooperation (JCLEC) that regional governments were making good progress against terrorism. Despite its name, the JCLEC is actually in the Central Java capital of Semarang.

“More than 300 JI members have been arrested in the region, including three members of the terrorist network led by Azahari and Noordin Top and more than 40 terrorists have been successfully prosecuted for their involvement in the Bali bombings,” said Downer.

“Last month we saw the demise of Azahari in East Java and we are confident that it is just a matter of time before Noordin Top and other key JI members are also brought to justice,” he said.

“But while good progress has been made, more still needs to be done. We cannot afford to be complacent or to under-estimate the continuing and evolving nature of the terrorist threat - a threat that will be around for some years to come - perhaps many years,” he added.

Police in the East Java town of Magetan on Tuesday night arrested five men for possession of ammunition and explosive materials. Reports said one of the men resembled Noordin, but police declined to comment on the matter on Wednesday, saying the men were still being investigated.

Prior to his speech to the JCLEC, Downer told an Asia-Pacific security conference that the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction was one of the biggest threats to regional security.