Islamic terrorists confess to beheading schoolgirls

Seven suspected Islamic terrorists have confessed to beheading three Christian schoolgirls on Indonesia’s Sulawesi Island, police said today.

The seven detained suspects confessed under questioning that they planned and carried out the October 29 beheadings in the Sulawesi town of Poso, police chief Lt. Col. Rudi Sufahriadi told The Associated Press.

Another girl was wounded but spared, he said.

Two of the suspects also say they have ties to Noordin Top, regarded as a key leader of the al-Qaida-linked group Jemaah Islamiyah, according to Central Sulawesi police chief Brig. Gen. Oegroseno.

Indonesia has arrested scores of militants belonging to the al-Qaida-linked Jemaah Islamiyah terror group in recent years.

Jemaah Islamiyah has been blamed for a series of suicide bombings in Indonesia in recent years, including two separate strikes on the tourist island of Bali.

Poso, a coastal town, is some 1,600 kilometres (1,000 miles) northeast of Jakarta. It was the scene of clashes between Muslims and Christians in 1999-2002 that claimed more than 1,000 lives.

Sporadic bombins and attacks, mostly targeting the Christian community, have continued and police suspect Jemaah Islamiyah involvement.