CNN is reporting that Malaysian-born Noordin M. Top is believed to have been involved in the recent bombings at the Jakarta Marriott and Ritz Carlton, in the Mega Kuningan business district:
Top is reportedly an officer, recruiter, bombmaker, and trainer for the JI group that was involved in a previous attack on the Marriott — in August 2003 — as well as attacks on a Bali nightclub in 2003 and the Australian Embassy in Jakarta in 2004, according to the FBI.
One of the suspected bombers appears to have checked into JW Marriott under the alias Nurdin Aziz, his true identity is still unknown. It is believed his decapitated head had been found in the rubble.
Indonesian government officials also revealed that the type of explosives used were similar to those found in anti-terror raids in Western Java.
So far, no one has taken responsibility for the bombings. Al Jazeera English reported that they had been in contact with Jemaah Islamiya, the group most often assumed to have carried out the bombings . They have denied any involvement. A splinter group, Tanzim Qaedat al-Jihad, is also under suspicion; they may be synonomous to the younger more radical faction cited by Australian analysts.
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