Husband and wife face death penalty on terror charges in Indonesia

Former Indonesian migrant worker Anggi Indah Kusuma (centre) is now facing the death sentence along with her husband for planning terror attacks and making explosives in a rented house in Bandung. ST PHOTO: WAHYUDI SOERIAATMADJA

JAKARTA - A former Indonesian migrant worker, who last year was deported from Hong Kong after she posted a Facebook video of her pledging allegiance to Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, is now facing the death sentence along with her newly-wed husband for planning terror attacks and making explosives in a rented house in Bandung.

"Anggi Indah Kusuma alias Khanza Syafiyah al-Fuqron has committed evil conspiracy, consciously tried to or assisted (others) to carry out terror acts. She has made and stored explosives with the intention to launch terror acts," said court documents seen by The Straits Times.

Anggi, 24, returned to Indonesia in March 2017, and was immediately interrogated by police. She was subsequently sent to a social affairs ministry rehabilitation centre before being allowed to go home to her parents in Klaten, Central Java.

But, in May last year, Anggi fled home and married another migrant worker, Rahman Factory, who had returned home from Malaysia. Her parents disapproved of the marriage.

Anggi was first introduced to Rahman on Facebook while she was in Hong Kong and, after their marriage, the couple moved to Bandung, in West Java.

Less than three months after their wedding, on Aug 15, 2017, Anggi and Rahman were nabbed during simultaneous raids by Densus 88, the elite counter-terrorism unit, on three places in Bandung. Three of their alleged accomplices were also picked up.

All of those arrested were allegedly members of a terror cell, who were manufacturing home-made chemical bombs to be used to attack the presidential palace in Jakarta, the police mobile brigade squad headquarters outside Jakarta and state-owned weapons manufacturer PT Pindad.

Court documents said that, in early August, Rahman and an accomplice, Young Farmer alias Abu Nakir Shaab , went to a chemical store in Bandung to procure bomb-making materials but could not get hold of any because the store required identification from the buyers who also had to certify their use.

The men then resorted to a popular local online marketplace, procured the materials and had them delivered on Aug 11 to the rented house in Bandung.

The couple as well and their accomplices then began the process of making a bomb using a manual provided by Young Farmer, whose real name has not been established yet.

The court was told that, while making the bomb, everyone was shocked by thick smoke and strong odour in the room of Rahman's house. Anggi, who was then pregnant, was nauseous. The decision was then taken to move the process to Young Farmer's house, also in Bandung.

Counter-terrorism officials said Anggi was radicalised while in Hong Kong after she befriended two men, Musa Wisesa and Abu Alqosam al-Ajeneseh, who indoctrinated her on Islamic sharia law and the ISIS caliphate.

The court documents did not provide further details about the two men but said that not long after Anggi befriended them she pledged allegiance to al-Baghdadi at Yuen park, in Hongkong. A fellow Indonesian videotaped her reading a text provided by Abu Alqosam and Anggi then uploaded the footage to her Facebook account. She also uploaded a write-up, professing her radical ideology.

Anggi then created a chatgroup on her Telegram mobile messaging account and called it "Redaksi Khilafah" (Caliphate Editorial). It eventually had 86 members.

Anggi was also a member in seven other radical Telegram chat groups.

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