RoP Threatens Indonesian President
Charles Johnson
Mon Dec 26, 2005 at 7:50 pm PST • Views: 176
Indonesia’s president under threat of attack: spokesman.
BANDA ACEH, Indonesia (AFP) - Indonesia’s president is under threat of assassination, his spokesman said, amid stepped-up security nationwide for the New Year holiday period over fears of extremist attacks.
Security forces in the world’s most populous Muslim nation have been on high alert over the Christmas period, concerned of possible reprisal attacks after last month’s killing of Malaysian bombmaker Azahari Husin, a key member of the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) militant network.
Documents found in Azahari’s East Java hideaway indicated extremists were planning attacks over the holiday period. His chief accomplice, Noordin Mohammad Top, remains on the run.
Asked whether reports that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was under threat of assassination were correct, his spokesman Andi Mallarangeng responded: “Yes.”
“We received the information from the intelligence agencies,” he told AFP. “According to the report, the information is quite valid and they have a reason to believe it,” he said.
Yudhoyono’s outdoor activities had been “significantly reduced” by his guards until the situation improves.
Frank says: