Second Sergeant Usman bin Haji Muhammad Ali (18 March 1943 – 17 October 1968), also spelt Osman bin Haji Mohamed Ali, was an Indonesian marine and convicted murderer. He uses the aliases Janatin or Usman Janatin during his task of
bombing the MacDonald House, which killed three people and injured 33 other people. Usman was executed alongside his accomplice
Harun Said for the murders of the three deceased victims from the MacDonald House bombing.
Biography
Usman Haji Muhammad Ali was born in Jatisaba,
Purbalingga
Purbalingga ( Javanese: ꦥꦸꦂꦧꦭꦶꦁꦒ) is a town and district in Central Java Province of Indonesia and the seat of Purbalingga Regency
Villages
The district includes 11 urban villages (''kelurahan'') and 2 rural villages (''desa'') ...
, on 18 March 1943.
He graduated from middle school in 1962.
On 1 June 1962, he entered the
Indonesian Marine Corps,
and was appointed as one of three volunteers to serve in the military operation ''Komando Siaga'' (later renamed ''Komando Mandala Siaga''), led by Air Force Vice Admiral
Omar Dhani
Air Chief Marshal (Ret.) Omar Dhani (23 January 1924 – 24 July 2009) was commander of the Indonesian Air Force (TNI-AU) from 1962 until 1965. He was a leading leftist figure in Indonesia during the Sukarno era.
Early life and career
Dhani fir ...
, during the
Indonesia-Malaysia confrontation.
Usman was later stationed at
Sambu Island,
Riau
Riau is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the central eastern coast of Sumatra along the Strait of Malacca. The province shares land borders with North Sumatra to the northwest, West Sumatra to the west, and Jambi to the south. Accord ...
.
Bombing of MacDonald House
On 8 March 1965, Usman,
Harun Thohir
Harun Thohir or Harun Bin Said (birth name Tahir Bin Mandir) (1943–1968) was an Indonesian soldier born in Bawean Island, East Java, on 4 April 1943 to Mahdar and Aswiyani, while another source stated that he was born on 14 April 1943.
He was ...
, and Gani bin Arup were assigned to conduct sabotage in Singapore: equipped with a rubber boat and of explosives, they were told to bomb an important building of their own choice. On 10 March 1965, they targeted a civilian building, the Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank building (now the
MacDonald House
The MacDonald House is a historic building and monument in Singapore, located at Orchard Road in the Museum Planning Area, within the Central Area, Singapore, Central Area.