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Mastermind behind Bali bombings loses his appeal for release

WASHINGTON — A South-east Asian terror mastermind who has been accused over a series of high-profile attacks will stay in detention at Guantanamo Bay after United States officials rejected his bid for release.

In this file photo released by Indonesian National Police on Aug. 21, 2003, Southeast Asian terror mastermind Hambali is shown. It was announced on Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2016, that a U.S. government review board has rejected the release of the alleged Southeastern Asian terrorist leader known as Hambali from the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Photo: Indonesian National Police via AP

In this file photo released by Indonesian National Police on Aug. 21, 2003, Southeast Asian terror mastermind Hambali is shown. It was announced on Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2016, that a U.S. government review board has rejected the release of the alleged Southeastern Asian terrorist leader known as Hambali from the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Photo: Indonesian National Police via AP

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WASHINGTON — A South-east Asian terror mastermind who has been accused over a series of high-profile attacks will stay in detention at Guantanamo Bay after United States officials rejected his bid for release.

A US government body tasked with reducing the number of inmates at Guantanamo said on Tuesday (Oct 25) that Indonesian militant Riduan Isamuddin, better known as Hambali, still represented a “significant threat to the security of the United States”.

The decision is likely to be welcomed by governments in South-east Asia as signs indicate that the influence of Islamic State (IS) has sparked a resurgence in militancy.

Hambali, who was captured in 2003 and sent to Guantanamo three years later, was believed to be Al Qaeda’s top representative in South-east Asia and operational chief of regional militant group Jemaah Islamiyah (JI).

He was accused of helping to mastermind the 2002 bombings on the Indonesian holiday island of Bali that left 202 people dead, and plotting other attacks in Indonesia, as well as on US airliners.

Hambali appeared before the Periodic Review Board at Guantanamo by video link in August seeking his release after 10 years in detention without charge.

The board, which was created by the Barack Obama administration to help it winnow down the prison population at Guantanamo as part of a broader effort to close the detention centre, cited Hambali’s “lengthy history as a jihadist” and “significant role in major terrorist attacks” as well as a failure to show remorse as factors for its decision.

After Mr Obama unveiled a roadmap to close Guantanamo in February, the Indonesian government expressed opposition to the potential return of Hambali to the country.

The number of prisoners at Guantanamo, set up on Cuba after the attacks on the US on Sept 11, 2001, is down to 60 as Mr Obama seeks to fulfil a pledge to shutter the facility before leaving office.

Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country, had succeeded in weakening dangerous networks, including JI, with a tough crackdown following the Bali bombings. 

However, IS has inspired a string of attacks and plots in the past year in Indonesia and other parts of the region, including a deadly gun and suicide bombing assault in Jakarta in January claimed by the jihadists. 

This week, Indonesian anti-terrorism officials said IS supporters from the country are travelling to join forces with their counterparts in the Philippines, raising concerns about cross-border violence.  

Malaysia has also stepped up security at its borders in case Malaysian militant fighters try to return home after Iraqi forces launched a major offensive to take back the IS stronghold of Mosul, Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said last week. AGENCIES

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