The Malaysian terrorist Noordin M. Top, who heads the most wanted list in Indonesia and is believed to be somewhere in Java, has claimed that he now heads a new organisation, the Tanzim Qaedat-al Jihad.

As we looked at in Sidney Jones’s views on the structure of jemaah islamiyah, it appears there is some split in the organisation between those who want to continue the bombing campaign, and those who believe it harms the overall goal of the group, the establishment of an Islamic state in Indonesia and possibly in neighbouring countries. Noordin’s claim to be the leader of this new group, in English called “Organization for the Basis of Jihad”, or something like that, is likely proof that his small band have become cast-outs among the wider Islamic radical movement.

The report comes from Indonesia’s police chief, General Sutanto, who informed parliamentarians of the development on Monday.