Militant Leader Arrested Over Recent Violence
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Indonesia said it has arrested the head of a top Islamic militant group over recent violence in the Moluccan city of Ambon, as troops fired warning shots to disperse thousands of people protesting his detention.
A police official said Ja’far Umar Thalib, commander of Laskar Jihad, was arrested after violence last weekend that killed at least 11 people.
“Ja’far Umar [Thalib] has been arrested ... in connection with Ambon,” national police spokesman Saleh Saaf said.
He said Thalib was arrested in the Javanese city of Surabaya and flown to Jakarta, the Indonesian capital, for questioning and detention.
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