Muslims want back their stolen land, JI captive says
STOLEN Muslim land drives the hatred of Indonesia-based extremist network Jemaah Islamiah for the west, the group's jailed military boss told CNN in an interview broadcast today.
Abu Dujana, one of South-East Asia's most wanted men, was arrested by Indonesian anti-terror police on June 9 as he rode a motorcycle with three of his four young children.
Police say he is linked to several major bombings that have rocked Indonesia in recent years, including the 2002 Bali blasts that killed 88 Australians.
Analysts, however, have said they are sceptical of his involvement in that bombing, which left a total of 202 people dead.
He has claimed he was against the 2003 bombing of the Marriott hotel in the Indonesian capital Jakarta.
In the interview with CNN at a police station in the central city of Yogyakarta, Dujana, shown handcuffed and smiling, said he thought "Americans or other civilians can become a target - that's how I see it".
Asked where the hatred of the west came from, he replied: "Many lands owned by Muslims have been taken away by our enemies. America is part of it, like in Palestine and other places.
"We demand those governments return those lands and let us put Sharia law in place."
Asked where it said in the Koran that it was acceptable to kill innocent people, he said: "I didn't read it in the Koran. It's based on the teachings of our teachers, clerics, especially what Osama bin Laden first said."
Jemaah Islamiah has been linked to al-Qaeda in the past, though analysts say the group operates independently.
Asked by the British interviewer whether he personally was a legitimate target, Dujana giggled.
"This is how it is. Islam has rules and everything is based on Sharia law," he said through a translator.
"If you ask me if you are a legitimate target, if there is clear evidence your country has attacked Islam, then we are permitted to kill you."