MILITANT LEADER NOORDIN MAT TOP BURIED

PONTIAN (Malaysia), Oct 3 (Bernama) -- A regional militant leader Noordin
Mat Top, who was killed in Indonesia two weeks ago, was buried in his home
village, here Friday.

Noordin's body arrived at the Nurul Iman Mosque for funeral prayers at 6pm
to the shouts of "Allahhu akbar" by villagers before he was laid to rest at
about 7pm.

The body arrived at the KL International Airport at about 3pm before it was
taken to Pontian by a Malaysian Islamic Development Department's van and
accompanied by the police.

Indonesian authorities handed over Noordin's body to his first wife, Siti
Rahmah Rusdi, who flew it back to Kuala Lumpur Friday.

After years of being on the run, Noordin, who headed a Jemaah Islamiah's
splinter group, Tandzim Al Qaedat Jihad Indonesia, was gunned down in Kepuhsari,
Solo, Central Java by the Indonesian police.

Three other militants were killed in the siege.

Noordin's children, a boy and two girls aged between eight and 10 years,
from his marriage with Siti Rahmah and relatives shed tears as the hearse
arrived at the mosque. Several of them fainted.

Villagers and relatives began to gather at his house, some 100 metres from
the mosque, since early Friday after learning that he would be buried Friday.

The police manned the road leading to Noordin's house and the cemetery.

Noordin, who was known as the "Money Man" of the JI, was said to be the
mastermind behind a series of bombings in Indonesia, most notably the Bali blast
and the bombing of two luxury hotels in Jakarta recently.
-- BERNAMA