Mr Razarudin outlined that more than 20 people believed to be linked to JI are being tracked down for questioning. He added that all five members of the suspect’s family aged between 19 and 62 have been arrested, noting that the suspect’s father, aged 62, is a known member of JI.
Mr Razarudin added that two people who were making a police report at the time have also been nabbed as he said that “it was not logical” for them to be reporting an incident which allegedly took place two years ago, implying that they might be involved in the attack as distractions for police.
Mr Razarudin added that security has been stepped up at police stations, the state’s palace as well as the official residence of the Johor chief minister.
The bodies of the two police officers and the suspect have been taken to Hospital Sultan Ismail for autopsy and further investigations. The injured officer has also been taken to the same hospital for treatment, reported Bernama.
Jemaah Islamiyah is linked to Al Qaeda, the terror group that carried out the 9/11 attacks in the US in 2001. JI is responsible for some of Indonesia’s deadliest terror attacks, including the 2002 Bali bombings which killed more than 200 people.
JI’s spiritual leader Abu Bakar Bashir set up a religious school or madrasah in Ulu Tiram called Luqmanul Hakiem in the early 1990s, according to various reports.
The school was attended by Noordin Muhammad Top, the suspected mastermind of the Jakarta hotel bombings in 2009, as well as another JI militant Mukhlas who was part of the 2002 Bali bombings.
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