BEJI, Indonesia — Indonesian police stormed a house today where the regional militant leader suspected in last month’s attacks on hotels in the capital was believed hiding out with several followers, witnesses and police said.
Two local TV stations reported suspected terrorism chief Noordin Mohammad Top had been killed in the operation, but those reports could not be confirmed. DNA tests will probably have to be performed to ensure the identification.
The raid broke a 16-hour siege of the house in central Java province that had officers trading automatic weapons fire with the militants. At least five loud explosions had rocked the building.
Police spokesman Nanan Sukarna said officers believed Noordin, who is Southeast Asia’s most- wanted militant suspect, and two or three followers were inside but could not confirm their fate.
Minutes after the raid, witnesses said officers outside the house took off their helmets and were shaking hands with one another, suggesting all those inside had either been killed or captured. The firing ceased.
Noordin is suspected in last month’s attacks on the J.W. Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotels in the capital, Jakarta, which killed nine people. He also is believed to have played a major role in four other bombings since 2002, including those on Bali that year that killed 202 people.
