Islamic extremists on Java disband after murder spree

LASKAR JIHAD, Indonesia’s most violent Muslim extremist group, has disbanded, its legal adviser said yesterday.

Laskar Jihad is blamed for the slaughter of thousands of Christians in a sectarian conflict in the Maluku islands.

The claim appeared to be the first sign Indonesia is getting serious about cracking down on Muslim extremism after last Saturday’s bombing of a nightclub in Bali in which nearly 200 people died.