Indonesian official questions Australia's approach to monitoring convicted terrorists

A senior Indonesian counter-terrorism officer has questioned where Australian convicted terrorist Jack Roche is, while criticising Australia's approach to monitoring former members of networks, like Jemaah Islamiah (JI).

The deputy of International Cooperation at the counter-terrorism agency known as the BNPT, Inspector General Hamidin, said he believed old terrorism cells were active in Australia.

In an interview with the ABC, the Inspector General said he was concerned that at a recent event to discuss countering violent extremism in Sydney and Canberra, Australian officials said they did not know the exact whereabouts of Roche.

"I wanted to know where he is but no-one knew," Inspector General Hamidin, who goes by one name, said.

"Some said he had returned to Indonesia. While here in Indonesia, wherever ex-terrorists are, we always maintain communication with them."

He said Indonesian authorities were looking for him.

The ABC has been told Roche left Australia in October last year and has not returned, and may have travelled to Indonesia with his Indonesian wife Afifah.

Roche served four-and-a-half years in Perth's maximum security Casuarina Prison for conspiring to blow up the Israeli embassy in Canberra.

He was released in May 2007, after serving only half of his nine-year sentence. The ABC has been told he is not considered to be a threat or dangerous by police.

The former JI operative is not under any travel restrictions in Australia and has not broken any laws by leaving the country.

No Roche sympathy for Islamic State, expert says

Quinton Temby, an expert in radical Islam from Murdoch University, said Roche had not expressed any sympathy towards Islamic State in the past.

"His wife is Indonesian and so he has an ongoing connection to Indonesia, and he may have some connection to the old JI network," Mr Temby said.

He said he was aware Roche sometimes shared his time between Jakarta and Perth.

Inspector General Hamidin told the ABC Indonesia keeps a close watch on former terrorists as some can now be actively linked to IS.

Aman Abdurrahman, who was first convicted in 2004 for bomb making, directed the 2016 Jakarta terrorist attack from his cell in Nusa Kamangan prison, for instance.

"The old cells, which we call sleeping cells, even though they are now hibernating they will rise again once there is a trigger," Inspector General Hamidin warned.

"I would say that those cells are still alive in Australia.

"In Indonesia we keep in contact with ex-terrorists, we keep watching them, but what I mentioned to you is just a question on how the Australian Government doesn't have Jack Roche on their watch.

"That's the only problem for me."

Roche mentioned in Pentagon charge sheet

Roche and his connection to Jemaah Islamiah are mentioned in a recently released Pentagon charge sheet for "Hambali", a key figure in the 2002 Bali bombings, who has been held at Guantanamo Bay and recently charged.

It details Roche's dealings with Hambali, including a meeting in 2000 where the pair discussed US and Israeli targets in Australia.

Hambali also funded Roche's travel to Afghanistan, according to the document. Roche is known to have met Osama bin Laden there.

A 63-year-old British born migrant and Muslim convert, Roche is believed to have been living a quiet life in Perth since his release, and then his departure from Australia last year.

Inspector General Hamidin said he recently searched for Roche at his Australian wife's village in West Sumatra but her family did not know where they were.

"We use soft approaches here, but I'm sorry to say that Australia doesn't do that enough," he said in relation to Australia's counter-terrorism methods

A spokesman said the AFP does not comment on matters of intelligence.

Source http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/2017-08-04/indonesia-questions-whereabouts-australian-terrorist-jack-roche/8772808?pfmredir=sm