Bali suspect confesses to bombing<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Indonesian police announced on Thursday a major breakthrough in
\nthe Bali bomb investigation, naming the owner of the Mitsubishi
\nvan used in the attack as a suspect in the carnage.<\/p>\n
National Police Chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar said after a Cabinet
\nmeeting that the suspect, Amrozi or M. Rozi, had admitted that he
\nused the Mitsubishi L300 van for the bombing.<\/p>\n
Da'i also said that Amrozi also admitted that he was the one
\nwho rented the motorcycles and another car used in the bombing.<\/p>\n
"He is the last owner of the car and used it for the bombing,
\nhis name is Amrozi or M. Rozi. During the interrogation he
\nadmitted his crimes in Bali... he is our first suspect," the
\nfour-star general said.<\/p>\n
"Currently, we are chasing his accomplices and we will put
\ntheir names on the wanted lists when the time comes," he
\nremarked. "We will continue the manhunt, not just to get the
\nperpetrators, but also to find the mastermind and unravel the
\nwhole network of the organization," Da'i emphasized.<\/p>\n
Da'i further said that Amrozi did not resemble any one of the
\nfour sketches (three last week, one announced on Thursday
\nevening) released by the police, but he was closely linked to the
\nfour men in the sketches.<\/p>\n
One of the four male sketches was released on Thursday. This
\nlast man is described to be 160 centimeters in height, with a
\nlight brown complexion and short hair, possibly Indonesian. No
\nfurther details were available.<\/p>\n
Police were confident that they would be able to apprehend the
\nsuspects depicted in the sketches following the arrests of
\nAmrozi.<\/p>\n
Amrozi, 30, was arrested by the police joint task force in
\nPaciran village in Lamongan regency, East Java on Tuesday. He was
\nthen flown to Bali on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
"He is now undergoing intensive interrogation," said joint
\ninquiry team spokesperson Brig. Gen. Edward Aritonang.<\/p>\n
Aritonang also confirmed that the team had seized several
\nitems from Amrozi's house, but he refused to elaborate.<\/p>\n
A source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, disclosed
\nearlier that members of the joint investigation team had managed
\nto penetrate deeply into several areas, believed to be frequented
\nby the bombing suspects.<\/p>\n
"In this critical stage cautiousness and the element of
\nsurprise are the two most precious elements in the manhunt. So we
\nwould appreciate it if the media could refrain themselves from
\ndisclosing too many details on the suspects or the
\ninvestigation," he said.<\/p>\n
"If things go as expected. We will be able to catch these
\npeople in the not too distant future," he continued.<\/p>\n
In a possibly related development, Italy's Panorama weekly
\nreported in its edition out on Friday that an Italian national
\nwho owned a bar in Bali had been arrested on the island in
\nconnection with the bombing.<\/p>\n
The weekly, as quoted by AFP, reported that a Milan native
\nnamed Andrea Sartoni, said to own another bar close to the Sari
\nClub, was in custody in connection with the bombing.<\/p>\n
It said the Italian foreign ministry had confirmed that
\nSartoni was in custody but that no further information was
\nimmediately available.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian police have refused to confirm the arrest of
\nthe Italian. However, sources confirmed the arrest, saying that
\ndisclosing the arrest might open a new theory in the Bali
\nbombing, possibly involving rivals in a vice ring.<\/p>\n
More than 190 people, mostly foreigners, were killed in the
\nbomb attack, which ripped through the packed Sari Club and
\nPaddy's Cafe in Bali's popular Kuta beach district.<\/p>\n
Also, on Thursday, a report by the Asian Wall Street Journal
\nrevealed that al-Qaeda's top Southeast Asian operative Riduan
\nIsamuddin, alias Hambali, an Indonesian citizen, planned last
\nmonth's Bali bombing in meetings held in southern Thailand.<\/p>\n
The report said that Hambali, from West Java, urged Arab and
\nSoutheast Asian militants attending a January meeting to attack
\nnightclubs and restaurants.<\/p>\n
The report was immediately denied by Thailand's Prime Minister
\nThaksin Shinawatra, saying it was not based on fact and that it
\nwas premature to speculate on the matter until Indonesian
\nauthorities were sure who carried out the attack.<\/p>\n
"It is possible that Mr 'A' could travel to country 'B' via
\nThailand but we do not have any information on this. We don't
\nknow yet who is behind the bomb," he told reporters.<\/p>\n
"How would the media know that it was planned in Thailand? It
\nis nonsense, the quality of the foreign press is much lower today
\nthan it used to be."<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/bali-suspect-confesses-to-bombing-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}