Indon terrorist’s release sought

Presidential Adviser for Special Concerns Norberto Gonzales — after his recent visit to Jakarta — had advised President Arroyo to immediately release an Indonesian terrorist convicted in the Philippines for illegal possession of explosives, a highly reliable source told The STAR yesterday.

The source said Gonzales wanted to free Agus Dwikarna, an Indonesian terrorist with links to the al-Qaeda network and allegedly involved in the Rizal Day bombings in December 2000, because of his affiliation with an influential political party.

The recommendation came amid strong opposition from key security advisers of the President, notably Justice Secretary Hernando Perez and National Security Adviser Roilo Golez.

"I object to the release of Dwikarna. He has been convicted and suspected as a terrorist," Perez said in a text message to The STAR.

Perez had earlier revealed that two of his colleagues in the Cabinet have persuaded him to release Dwikarna so that the Philippines could have better relations with Indonesia.

"How could we when these people even planned to bomb us?" he asked.

One of the Cabinet officials is probably Foreign Affairs Secretary Blas Ople, who recently went to Jakarta to meet with his counterpart, Hassan Wirayuda, on the possibility of a prisoner swap.

Perez earlier ruled out such arrangement since any convict in the Philippines can only avail himself of the privilege if his conviction is final.

He told justice reporters in a press briefing last August that the RP-Indonesia agreement for the repatriation of Islamic militant Dwikarna "will only apply after final judgment of his sentence by the Supreme Court."

Dwikarna, who is now under tight custody of the Philippine National Police (PNP), was sentenced to 17 years by Judge Henrick Gingoyon of the Pasay City Regional Trial Court for trying to smuggle C-4 explosives into the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in March 2001.

He has since filed a motion to reverse his conviction but the court has denied it. However, two of his co-accused, Abdul Jamal Balfas and Hamsid Lin Rung, were released on orders of Mrs. Arroyo upon the request of Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri.

Perez also disclosed that two of his Indonesian counterparts, whom he did not name, had also put pressure on him to release the convict, citing Dwikarna’s link with some political parties in Indonesia.

"But we denied it because there was evidence to pin him down. True enough, he was convicted," he emphasized.

As it turned out, Perez added, Dwikarna is "one of the highest officials" of Jemaah Islamiyah, which is suspected to be behind the car bomb that exploded in Indonesia’s tourist district of Bali that killed 190 people and wounded 300 more last Oct. 12.

Justice Undersecretary Jose Calida bared that they have indeed received information from their foreign counterparts in the intelligence community that Dwikarna belongs to Majlis Mujahidin Indonesian, a group which has Jemaah Islamiyah as an ally and continuously supports the al-Qaeda terrorist network.

Aside from being implicated in the Rizal Day bombings in December 2000, Dwikarna is also suspect in the bombing of the Jakarta residence of Ambassador to Indonesia Leonides Caday in August 2000.

This information was provided by a witness who was among the 13 men arrested by Singapore cops last December on suspicion that they were planning to bomb US warships docking in the island state and a bus filled with US servicemen and US firms’ officers.