POLICE STILL SEEKING 14 TERROR SUSPECTS IN ACEH

Jakarta, March 15 (ANTARA) - Police General Bambang Hendarso Danuri has appealed to various parties in Aceh from clerics to village heads to give information in case they know about the 14 alleged terrorists now being pursued by police.

The national police chief said before attending a cabinet meeting on Monday the 14 alleged terrorists were connected with the terrorist group holding training in Aceh and the JW Marriott Hotel bombing and other violent incidents in a number of places in the country.

"We really hope all parties, community members in Aceh, clerics and village heads will quickly inform the local security authorities if they have any knowledge of where these people are," he said.

He assured that the terrorist group in Aceh was not in any way linked to the former Free Aceh Movement (GAM).

He said what happened was there were some common Acehnese who had joined the terror group's activities.

"Until now, we have not found any proof that they are related with GAM. But what I said was that there was a man named Marzuki whom we caught alive and proves to be an Acehnese involved in the group's activities. So it is not related with GAM," he said.

Of the 14 wanted terror suspects three were Acehnese while six of those who had been killed during police operations so far were also Acehnese.

General Bambang Hendarso said the police had so far seized 38 suspected terrorists including those nabbed in Jakarta and seven of them had been killed during operations.

"We are still pursuing them," he said.