BOMB JW MARRIOT-RIZT CARLTON: The Many Wives of Jakarta Bomb Suspect Noordin M Top

JAKARTA LIFE'S STYLE. Wanted terrorist Noordin M Top, suspected of masterminding the bombing of two hotels in Jakarta this month, has not let being on the run for seven years get in the way of his love life. Police believe the fugitive has married at least three women while evading authorities. But according to a terrorism expert, Noordin’s marriages were likely ones of convenience, where the bonds of matrimony were used to hide himself and his networks from police.

Noordin came to the attention of police following the 2002 Bali bombing, and he has been on the most wanted list ever since. Intelligence expert Noor Huda Ismail said Noordin is quite cunning.

“He knows how to approach communities that can give him the protection he needs, especially communities who wish to make Indonesia an Islamic country,” Ismail said.

This “culture of protection” is strengthened in extremist organizations by kinship bonds gained through marriage, he said. But seven years on the run has forced Noordin to move around the country a lot, and marry more than once, to elude authorities.

Last week, the Densus 88 antiterror squad arrested a woman named Ari Aryani, also known as Arina, in Cilacap, Central Java. Ari is believed to be Noordin’s third wife. She told police that she did not know her husband was wanted terrorist — she believed his name was Abdul Halim and he was a teacher who worked in Solo.

The pair were married in 2006 and have two children. Bahrudin Latif, Ari’s father, is believed to be Noordin’s right hand man. Bahrudin, the head of Al Muaddib Islamic Boarding School in Cilacap, was named as a terrorism suspect after Densus 88 raided his house and found explosives buried in his backyard earlier this month.

Before he was married to Ari, Noordin had a wife named Munfiatun in Surabaya, East Java, in 2004. Munfiatun was arrested by the police in 2005 and was found guilty of hiding a terror suspect. She was sentenced to three years in prison, but received nine months remission for good behavior and was released in 2007.

Police believe Noordin’s first wife is a woman from Rokan Hilir, Riau. Police found Noordin’s residence in Riau in 2003, but when they raided the house, they only found his alleged wife. The unnamed woman was arrested and questioned but later released. Riau Police returned to the house shortly after the July bombings of the Ritz-Carlton and JW Marriott hotels, but it was abandoned. According to neighbors, the house had been empty for years.

Like Ari, Noordin’s wives in Riau and Surabaya are believed to have married the fugitive because their family members were his accomplices.

Ismail said Noordin may not be the only terrorism suspect who uses marriage to provide protection.

“Once inside these [extremist] groups, individuals cement their mutual bonds by marrying the sisters and daughters of other members. Therefore, it is difficult for an individual to move away from the groups without betraying their closest friends and family,” Ismail said. “This intense loyalty to these extremist groups helps transform alienated young Muslims into jihadists, or martyrs.”

JG, Antara thejakartaglobe.com