02/08/2019 Malaysia (International Christian Concern) – Taufik Abdul Halim, the Malaysian terrorist behind the first ever bombing launched by a foreign terrorist in Indonesia, says that he has no remorse while recalling how he tried to set off a bomb at Jakarta’s Atrium Plaza shopping complex 18 years ago.
The bomb that was hidden in a Dunkin’ Donuts box exploded prematurely as Taufik was on his way to the Atrium mall in Jakarta, blowing off part of his right leg, while flying debris injured six other people.
The original plot was to detonate the bomb at a church inside the mall area, in order to “to assassinate a few people who were the leaders and provocateurs in the earlier Maluku sectarian conflict,” Taufik shares.
He was referring to religious clashes between Christians and Muslims in Maluku’s capital city of Ambon in January 1999, after a dispute between a Christian bus driver and Muslim youths escalated, causing the lives of some 4,000 persons, both Muslim and Christian, in the 18 months of sectarian fighting that followed.
Since the original targets of that bombing had been tipped off, he said “so we had to do something, and the plan changed.” Members of his group delivered bombs in three other target places, including a church, he said, but the person who was tasked to carry his bomb had cold feet.
“So I decided to deliver it myself,” he said. “But the package exploded before it arrived at the intended target.”
In a recent interview with BernarNews, he says “I have no regrets for what happened.” Taufik returned home to Malaysia in 2014 after serving 12 years in an Indonesian prison.
For interviews with Gina Goh, ICC’s Regional Manager, please contact Olivia Miller, Communications Coordinator: press@persecution.org.
