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BATAM-INDONESIA - Police maintains that the alleged terrorist network “Rahmat the Persistent Preacher” - Khatib Gigih Rahmat (KGR), has been behind several terror attacks in Indonesia.
Riau Islands Police chief, Brig Jend Sam Budigusdian claims Gigih, 31 – one of the suspects involved in a plan to fire rockets from Batam to Singapore - is also the brain behind the bomb attack at a Police Headquarter in Surakarta on 5 July 2016.
According to the police, Gigih personally trained the suicide bomber, Nur Rahman, in Batam. Nur Rahman was known to have entered Batam in 2015.
The police chief also stated that currently, the Anti-terror Detachment Team are still investigating the connection between the network and Bahrun KGR Naim.
Sam added, Gigih was in charge of recruiting and training members of the network in the woods of Nongsa area, Batam.
"The training used weapons as well but only with soft gun. They didn’t train with the long-barreled weapon."
Gigih is said to have recruited Trio Syafrido (46), Eka Saputra (35), Tarmidzi (21) and Yanda Gusti Hadi (20).
The four men were assigned different roles. Trio served as field coordinator, Hadi as treasurer, Eka was weapons assembler and Tarmidzi and Hadi were the new recruits.
Sam explained, Gigih recruitment was done according to the network needs. For example, the recruitments of Hadi and Trio was for their knowledge of the ins and outs Batam and of banking.
The suspects have been detained since Friday morning, and the location of where they are being kept is still undisclosed.