Three killed in Indonesia police raid

By DPA,

Jakarta : Indonesian police killed four suspected Islamic militants Thursday in a siege on a house in Central Java province, media reports said.


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Police began surrounding the house before midnight Wednesday on the outskirts of Solo city after arresting a man at a nearby market, the state-run Antara news agency said.

Police fired shots and killed four people in the house, including a woman, TVOne reported.

One of those slain is believed to be Urwah, a man sought in the July 17 suicide bombings of two Jakarta luxury hotels, where nine people were killed and 53 wounded, the channel said.

Two explosions were heard at dawn several hundred metres from the besieged house, the state Antara news agency said.

Before shots were fired, residents were ordered to clear the area near the house.

Local neighbourhood chief Suratmin was quoted as saying that the house was rented six months ago by a married couple in their 20s, who both worked as teachers.

Police could not be reached immediately for comment.

Police believe fugitive Malaysian-born militant Noordin Mohammad Top was the mastermind behind the July attacks and other bombings since 2003.

Last month, police killed a man believed to have been involved in the hotel bombings in a raid on a house in Central Java. That suspect was initially believed to be Noordin, but DNA tests later showed he was Ibrahim, a hotel florist whom police said helped plan the hotel bombings.

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