Release International

Indonesian police have arrested a man in connection with the beheading of three Christian schoolgirls in Poso.

Sahal Alamry, 31, is being held at the national police headquarters in Jakarta, after a special anti-terror team seized him in Poso. Alamry is believed to be linked with one of Indonesia's most wanted men, Malaysian terrorist Noordin Moh Top.

Central Sulawesi police chief Brigadier General Oegroseno is quoted as saying that Alamry is well-known in Poso as an 'Islamic guru' at an education and boarding house complex. The Indonesian vice president has openly voiced suspicions that another member of the same complex might also be involved in the murders on October 29.

It is thought Alamry's arrest was prompted by information from a man suspected of involvement in the Bali bombing.

Meanwhile, a leading moderate Muslim cleric, Din Syamsuddin, has said police and the media in Indonesia are 'too lax' in their treatment of radical Islamists and their violence. Yet Syamsuddin, who leads the 30-million-strong Muhammadiyah Islamic group, told Reuters news agency that he himself would not confront radicals for fear of being 'divisive'.

• Continue to pray for the families of the three girls who were beheaded and for their friend Noviana Malewa who survived and witnessed the attack.
• Pray that the Indonesian authorities will take a tough line on radical Islamist elements in society. Pray that politicians would not be influenced or intimidated by extremists.

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