Teguh Setyabudi, Director General of Population and Civil Registration at Indonesia's Home Affairs Ministry, said the government has been unable to locate any official record of Encep Nurjaman, also known as Riduan Isamuddin or Hambali, who is currently on trial in a US military court after being held for 20 years at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Teguh said the ministry searched for Hambali's information through the Civil Registration Information System (SIAK).
Using Hambali's name and birth date, April 4, 1964, Teguh confirmed no exact match was found in the database. "No matching data was found," Teguh told Tempo via WhatsApp on Monday, June 16.
The ministry also ran a facial recognition (FR) scan using publicly available photos of Hambali found online. That search also turned up nothing.
"There are two possibilities here: either the photo resolution is too low, or he has never recorded biometric data for an electronic ID card (e-KTP), which means further verification is needed," Teguh said.
Earlier, Coordinating Minister for Law, Human Rights, Immigration, and Corrections Yusril Ihza Mahendra said he was unsure whether Hambali could be repatriated to Indonesia.
"For now, we don't know anything yet," Yusril told reporters during a press conference at an Islamic Boarding School in Depok on Sunday, June 15.
Yusril admitted that he would not oppose Hambali's return if it is proven he is an Indonesian citizen. "If someone is a foreign national, we can deny them entry into Indonesian territory," he said.
Yusril said the government would consider the outcome of legal proceedings concerning Hambali's citizenship status, amid suspicions that he is no longer an Indonesian national. He also stressed the need to assess whether Hambali's return would benefit the country.
"Especially if he brings no benefit and instead harms our national interests, the government has the right to bar him from entering Indonesia," Yusril said.
Yusril outlined the potential harm Hambali's return could cause to Indonesia. He said Hambali was involved in the 2002 Bali bombings, which claimed hundreds of lives and left a deep scar on the nation. The act of terror caused immense suffering not only in Indonesia but also in neighboring countries, particularly Australia.
However, under Indonesian law, Hambali cannot be prosecuted for the Bali bombing because more than 20 years have passed.
"Under Indonesian law, crimes punishable by death or life imprisonment have a statute of limitations. If more than 18 years have passed, the case can no longer be brought to court," Yusril said in Jakarta on Friday night, January 17, 2025, as quoted by Antara.
Yusril had previously said that the government would not allow Hambali to reenter Indonesia after his release, noting that he did not present an Indonesian passport when arrested by US authorities.
"Hambali was caught carrying Spanish and Thai passports, not an Indonesian one. To this day, we haven't obtained any valid data or official documents proving his status as an Indonesian citizen," Yusril said in a press statement on Saturday, June 14.
He added that Indonesia adheres to the principle of single citizenship. According to Article 23 of Law No. 12/2006 on Citizenship, a person loses their Indonesian nationality if they voluntarily acquire citizenship from another country. Therefore, if Hambali legally obtained foreign citizenship and never reapplied to regain Indonesian nationality, then under the law, he is no longer an Indonesian citizen.
Yusril said the Indonesian government has the authority to deny entry to any foreign national deemed harmful to the country's interests. "In Hambali's case, the situation is still unclear. The government's position is to wait for official confirmation on his legal status and documents," he said.
Hambali was captured by the US military on charges of involvement in international terrorist operations across multiple countries. He is also suspected of masterminding the 2002 Bali bombings.
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