Bombs found in terror hideout

POLICE found more than 30 bombs in the hideout of a South-East Asia terror ringleader shot to death during a raid by an elite security unit, triggering speculation he was planning more attacks, authorities said yesterday.

Known as the “Demolition Man” for his expertise with explosives, Azahari bin Husin was a key figure in Jemaah Islamiyah, a terror network with links to al-Qaida that has been blamed for a series of deadly bombings as well as failed plots in Indonesia, the Philippines and Singapore.

The discovery of the bombs indicated Jemaah Islamiyah was preparing more attacks. The bombs included small devices easily contained in backpacks - similar to ones used in the July London Underground attacks and in last month’s suicide strikes on three crowded restaurants on the resort island of Bali, said police chief General Sutanto.

Worried that more attacks may be planned, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono ordered police to hunt down other terrorists, including Azahari’s right-hand man, Noordin Mohamed Top, who is believed to raise funds for Jemaah Islamiyah and recruit its bombers.

Police initially said Azahari blew himself up on Wednesday to avoid capture when his hideout in East Java province was raided, but Gen Sutanto said yesterday that he was fatally shot as he reached to detonate his suicide belt. Another suspected militant holed up with Azahari set off the device, sparking a massive explosion that ripped off the roof of their rented house.

Authorities identified Azahari after a fingerprint analysis. One other suspected militant also was killed.

Azahari was accused of direct involvement in at least four terror attacks: the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people, most of them foreign tourists; two bombings in Jakarta in 2003 and 2004 that took 23 lives; and the October 1 suicide attacks on Bali that caused 20 more deaths.

The Malaysian bomb expert, in his 40s, had eluded capture for years, but authorities tracked him down in Batu, a resort town about 530 miles east of Jakarta, after interrogating an arrested militant suspect.