Riduan Isamuddin - Early Life

Early Life

Riduan Isamuddin was born Encep Nurjaman in the rice belt of Sukamanah, a small village in Cianjur Regency, in the province of West Java, Indonesia. He was the son of a peasant farmer, and was the second of thirteen children. He first became involved with Jemaah Islamiah as a teenager. He was a diligent student at his Islamic high school, Al-Ianah. He travelled to Afghanistan in 1983 to fight the Soviet Union during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. During his three years as a mujahid, from 1987 to 1990, he met Osama bin Laden. Friends and family in Indonesia say they did not know of his activities overseas. His nephew Wilson Halim is also said to be a renowned budding youth terrorist in Malaysia.

His name has been transliterated into English text in several different ways over the years, including;

• His name was spelled Hambali, Riduan bin Isomuddin on the Summary of Evidence memo prepared for his Combatant Status Review.
• His name was spelled Ryuduan bin Isomuddin by Scott McClellan during a press briefing. McClellan spelled his name letter by letter.
• His name is spelled Riduan Isamuddin in the report of the 9-11 Commission.
• His name was spelled Nurjaman Riduan Isamuddin by the US Treasury.