Ciputat, Indonesia - Indonesia's counterterrorism police on Friday killed two people in a raid on a house where suspected Islamic militants wanted for July's hotel bombings were believed to be hiding. Two bodies were taken out of the rented lodging in Ciputat, a university town about 30 kilometres south of Jakarta, after shots and an explosion were heard, witnesses said.
Metro TV reported that the two killed were believed to be Syaefuddin Jaelani and Muhammad Syahrir, who had been sought for their alleged role in the July 17 bombings at the JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotels.
The hotel bombings killed nine people and injured 53.
Police said Jaelani, also known as Zuhri, recruited one of the two hotel suicide bombers.
The man believed to be the mastermind behind the hotel attacks, Malaysian-born Noordin Mohammed Top, was killed last month in a police raid on a house in the central Java city of Solo. Police said a laptop computer seized from the house where Noordin and three other suspected militants were killed revealed plans to carry out an attack every month.
Police said they believed Noordin was also responsible for a series of bombings in Indonesia since 2003 while Jaelani was considered a newcomer.
Terrorism experts said Noordin was a key financier and recruiter for Jemaah Islamiyah, a militant group blamed for attacks in Indonesia from 2000 to 2003, including the 2002 Bali bombing, which killed 202 people. They said he later formed his own, more violent organization after disagreements with more moderate militants.
