Zarkasih (born c. 1962) was the leader of

Jemaah Islamiah Jemaah Islamiyah ( ar, الجماعة الإسلامية, ''al-Jamāʿah al-Islāmiyyah'', meaning "Islamic Congregation", frequently abbreviated JI) is a Southeast Asian militant extremist Islamist terrorist group based in Indonesia, which i ...

(JI), a South East Asian militant group, from 2004 until July 2007 when he was captured. Zarkasih goes by a single name and other aliases including Nuaim, Mbah, Abu Irsyad. As of December 2007, Zarkasih is facing anti-terrorism charges. Zarkasih is believed to have joined the mujahideen in

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

in the fight against the

Soviets Soviet people ( rus, сове́тский наро́д, r=sovyétsky naród), or citizens of the USSR ( rus, гра́ждане СССР, grázhdanye SSSR), was an umbrella demonym for the population of the Soviet Union. Nationality policy in ...

. He received military training in

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...

and has links with al-Qaeda. He became the leader of JI in 2004. Zarkasih was captured in July 2007 in

Yogyakarta Yogyakarta (; jv, ꦔꦪꦺꦴꦒꦾꦏꦂꦠ ; pey, Jogjakarta) is the capital city of Special Region of Yogyakarta in Indonesia, in the south-central part of the island of Java. As the only Indonesian royal city still ruled by a monarchy, ...

by Indonesian police, a few hours after the arrest of JI military commander Abu Dujana. As of December 2007, Zarkasih and Abu Dujana are facing anti-terrorism charges including conspiracy to commit terrorist attacks, harboring fugitives and possession of illegal weapons and ammunition. They are also accused of shipping weapons and explosives to Sulawesi island to be used for anti-Christian attacks. If convicted, both men could face the death penalty.

References

{{Authority control Jemaah Islamiyah People imprisoned on charges of terrorism Indonesian prisoners and detainees Prisoners and detainees of Indonesia Living people Year of birth missing (living people)