Muhammad Rais is an Indonesian convicted in May 2004 for involvement in the 2003 Marriott Hotel bombing, which killed 12 people and wounded over 150. He is a member of

Jemaah Islamiyah Jemaah Islamiyah (, ''al-Jamāʿah al-Islāmiyyah'', meaning "Islamic Congregation", frequently abbreviated JI) was a Southeast Asian Islamist militant group based in Indonesia, which was dedicated to the establishment of an Islamic state in ...

and the brother-in-law of Noordin Mohammed Top."Indonesia's Jemaah Islamiya"

the Jamestown Foundation The Jamestown Foundation is a Washington, D.C.–based non-partisan defense policy think tank. Founded in 1984 as a platform to support Soviet defectors, its stated mission is to inform and educate policy makers about events and trends, which i ...

June 2, 2006 He attended the

Al-Mukmin Islamic school The Al-Mukmin Islamic boarding school also known as Pesantren Al-Mukmin and Pondok Ngruki, is a ''pesantren'' ('Islamic boarding school') located in Ngruki, a suburb in the regency of Sukoharjo, Central Java, Indonesia. It was founded 1972 by the ...

which was founded by Abu Bakar Bashir, and while training in

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

was responsible for relaying messages between Bashir and

Osama bin Laden Osama bin Laden (10 March 19572 May 2011) was a militant leader who was the founder and first general emir of al-Qaeda. Ideologically a pan-Islamist, Bin Laden participated in the Afghan ''mujahideen'' against the Soviet Union, and support ...

."Schooled for Jihad"
he Washington Post June 26, 2005 Rais transported the explosives used in the blast from various towns in

Sumatra Sumatra () is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the list of islands by area, sixth-largest island in the world at 482,286.55 km2 (182,812 mi. ...

to the Indonesian capital

Jakarta Jakarta (; , Betawi language, Betawi: ''Jakartè''), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta (; ''DKI Jakarta'') and formerly known as Batavia, Dutch East Indies, Batavia until 1949, is the capital and largest city of Indonesia and ...

on the island of

Java Java is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea (a part of Pacific Ocean) to the north. With a population of 156.9 million people (including Madura) in mid 2024, proje ...

, where they were used in the bomb. He was responsible for recruiting the

suicide bomber A suicide attack (also known by a wide variety of other names, see below) is a deliberate attack in which the perpetrators knowingly sacrifice their own lives as part of the attack. These attacks are a form of murder–suicide that is ofte ...

, and he drafted his best friend from his Islamic boarding school in Ngruki,

Asmar Latin Sani Asmar Latin Sani ( – 5 August 2003) was the suicide bomber from West Sumatra who detonated a car bomb outside the lobby of the JW Marriott Hotel in Jakarta, Indonesia. His severed head was later found on the fifth floor of the building. Before ...

. Rais was arrested in the month before the bombing. He was sentenced to seven years in prison for his role."al-Qaeda attacked Business"

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

August 5, 2003 During his trial, Rais said "We saw the Marriott attack as a message from Osama bin Laden."Bin Laden inspired Bombing
USA Today 12/02/2004

References

External links

"Marriott blast suspects named"
''CNN''

''Xinhua''
"Terrorism in Indonesia: Noordins Networks"

International Crisis Group The International Crisis Group (ICG; also known as the Crisis Group) is a global non-profit, non-governmental organisation founded in 1995. It is a think tank, used by policymakers and academics, conducting research and analysis on global crises. ...

"Combating JI in Indonesia"
Ng Boon Yian
Jemaah Islamiyah Shown to Have Significant Ties to al QaedaLearning by Doing:Al Qaeda's Allies in Southeast AsiaTerrorism Perpetrated and Terrorists Apprehended
Living people Indonesian prisoners and detainees Jemaah Islamiyah People imprisoned on terrorism charges Prisoners and detainees of Indonesia Year of birth missing (living people) {{Indonesia-paramilitary-bio-stub