Jakarta (AsiaNews) Indonesian security forces are on red alert after news of the escape of a suspected Islamic terrorist from an American prison in Bagram in Afghanistan. The Kuwaiti al Farouq escaped with two other inmates. The USA holds him to be one of the highest-ranking leaders of Al Qaeda in South-east Asia. The incident dates back to July but it was broken to the press only two days ago. It emerged in the military trial in Texas against a sergeant accused of torture and was confirmed by the Pentagon.
According to American Intelligence, the fugitive, Omar al Farouq, ranks among the chief lieutenants of Osama bin Laden in Indonesia and the Philippines. The Indonesian authorities captured him in 2002 and handed him over to the Americans who in turn transferred him to a maximum security prison at a base near Kabul, where around 500 suspected terrorists and Taleban followers are detained.
Last night, president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) issued a statement from his private residence in West Java, calling for urgent Intelligence counter-measures to prevent possible terrorist attacks in Indonesia. "We must do something quickly," said SBY. "Al Farouq is a danger to the country."
In September 2002, the Time weekly dedicated its cover story to al Farouq, revealing the contents of his interrogations and the extent of the network set up by Al Qaeda in South-east Asia. According to the report, the terrorist had planned assassination attempts on the former Indonesian president, Megawati Soekarnoputri, in 1999 and in 2001.
News of the escape emerged in the trial in Texas of Sergeant Alan Driver, a reservist accused of abusing detainees in Bagram, of who al Farouq was a victim. Driver's lawyer called al Farouq a Kuwaiti of Iraqi parents to testify and at that point, the military authorities had to make his escape known.
Official Indonesian sources said they did not have official confirmation from Washington about the escape and they criticized the USA because of what happened. An official of the Security Ministry, Inspector-General Ansyaad Mbai, said: "For us, it's clear that al Farouq is a very dangerous terrorist".
Accusations against the United States have also been leveled by the lawyer of terrorist, Abu Bakar Bashir, the Muslim cleric accused of "complicity" in the 2002 Bali attack. Mohammad Assegaf asked how the flight could have taken place and charged: "The identity of al Farouq is still a mystery, it is not clear if he is a member of the CIA or in Al Qaeda." Indonesia holds that the activities of the Kuwaiti fugitive are linked to the detained Bashir.
