Bali Bombing Mastermind Killed in Java Raid

This time, it's really him—they have fingerprints to prove it
By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 17, 2009 7:06 AM CDT
Bali Bombing Mastermind Killed in Java Raid
Indonesian National Police Chief Bambang Hendarso Danuri shows the fingerprints taken from one of the bodies of the terror suspects killed in Central Java, right, that match with Noordin Mohammad Top.   (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)

Indonesian police say they’ve killed their most-wanted terrorist, Noordin Muhamed Top, and this time, they’re really sure. The last time they declared Noordin dead, after an August raid in Central Java, they later admitted he had actually escaped. But this time they say they’ve done a fingerprint match on the body to ensure it is him, the BBC reports.

Police describe Noordin as the "leader of al-Qaeda in South East Asia," and attribute many attacks to him, most notably the Bali bombings of 2002 and 2005. Police found him in a rented house in Central Java yesterday. Witnesses saw a pitched firefight that lasted until early in the morning, and left the house completely destroyed. Police believe alleged bomb-builder Bagus Budi Pranato was also inside. (More Noordin Top stories.)

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