Eight named suspects in bombings<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Police have arrested eight suspects in
\nconnection with the Christmas eve bomb attacks, but reiterated
\nthe absence of clues that could lead to the Army's involvement.<\/p>\n
National Police deputy chief of detectives Brig. Gen. Sudirman
\nAil said on Tuesday two of the primary suspects were captured
\nearlier in the day in Brebes, the Central Java town which borders
\nWest Java.<\/p>\n
As have top officials at the National Police and its forensics
\nlaboratory, Sudirman repeatedly dismissed the role of the Army in
\nthe bombings that left 19 people dead, despite strong evidence
\nthat at least one of the suspects arrested has clear links with
\nthe Army.<\/p>\n
\"We have no evidence to date that the military is involved in
\nthe bombings,\" Sudirman told reporters in a media conference on
\nthe latest progress in the case at the National Police Detectives
\nbuilding on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
National Police chief of detectives Insp. Gen. Engkesman
\nHillep also attended the conference, but left early due to an
\nurgent meeting.<\/p>\n
Quoting an official police report, sources have said that of
\nthe eight suspects, three, identified only as ES, LI and F, were
\narrested on Jan. 11 in North Sumatra.<\/p>\n
The source said that ES had told police officers he learned to
\nmake bombs \"during his experience working with a certain division
\nof the Army, for a period of over five years in Aceh.\"<\/p>\n
\"He has confessed to having made the 14 bombs which did not
\nexplode. At first he told police that he only made seven, but
\nupon further interrogation he admitted to having made all 14.\"<\/p>\n
Separately, North Sumatra police chief of detectives High
\nComr. Iskandar Hasan confirmed that ES had confessed to making
\nthe 14 bombs, and had received Rp 160 million for the job.<\/p>\n
Quoting what ES told police investigators, Iskandar said that
\nupon being pressured by an unidentified member of the Free Aceh
\nMovement (GAM), ES agreed to receive an order for the bombs from
\nanother suspect still at large, identified as PO.<\/p>\n
\"ES received Rp 160 million to assemble the bombs. We have
\nconfiscated Rp 159 million from ES as evidence ... the military
\nhowever, is not (involved). ES was himself a very good
\nmechanic ... we are still investigating from where he learned how
\nto make the bombs,\" Iskandar said.<\/p>\n
A source told the police that to make the bombs, ES bought
\n\"all the detonators, the timers, and nine-volt batteries from
\nshops in Medan, North Sumatra.\"<\/p>\n
\"The explosives were bought by PO, who is still at large. PO
\ngave the explosives to ES, who made the bombs. The rest, I can't
\nsay now.\"<\/p>\n
Other suspects in the case were identified as Roni Miliar,
\nAgus Kurniawan, Haji Aceng Suhari and Iqbal of West Java and
\nFachrozi of Jakarta.<\/p>\n
West Java Police chief Insp. Gen. Yun Mulyana confirmed on
\nTuesday the arrest of Aceng, 51, and Iqbal alias Didin alias
\nIyep, 40, was made at 4:30 a.m. on Tuesday in a house at
\nBentarsari village in Salem district in Brebes.<\/p>\n
Mulyana expressed hope that following Aceng's arrest, police
\nwill be able to capture Holis alias Udin, 31.<\/p>\n
\"We hope Aceng and Iqbal will give us further leads to find
\nother suspects and reveal to us more of the bombing network,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
According to suspects Roni Miliar and Agus Kurniawan -- whose
\npolice dossiers have been handed over to state prosecutors --
\nIqbal had preached to them about the \"spirit of Jihad and the
\nsuffering of Muslims in Ambon, Maluku.\"<\/p>\n
Both Agus and Miliar admitted to the police that they met
\nIqbal on Dec. 19 last year.<\/p>\n
Chief of Ciamis Police Adj. Sr. Comr. Zainuri Lubis said on
\nTuesday that police had surveilled the two suspects for the past
\ntwo weeks.<\/p>\n
Despite the police's repeated denials, the investigation team
\nof the Indonesian Forum for Peace (FID) revealed on Tuesday that
\nin their reports the police and witnesses cited nine names of
\nformer military officials in connection with the bombings.<\/p>\n
\"We are still verifying the alleged involvement of the nine
\ngenerals, two of whom have already been mentioned by President
\nAbdurrahman,\" secretary of the team, Munir, told a media
\nconference.<\/p>\n
\"We surmise that if these people were proven to be the
\nChristmas bombings perpetrators, they could be the masterminds of
\nthe whole recent bombing incidents with the exception of the
\nblast at the Jakarta Stock Exchange building last September,\" he
\nadded.<\/p>\n
Abdurrahman reportedly mentioned former Army chief of staff
\nGen. (ret.) R. Hartono and former chief of Army Strategic
\nReserves Command (Kostrad) Lt. Gen. (ret.) Prabowo Subianto.<\/p>\n
Munir suspected there have been some internal problems in the
\npolice force which have hampered the investigation.<\/p>\n
\"We can clearly see that the police are still preoccupied with
\npolitical causes and not wholly dedicated to the service of the
\npublic. The police seem to resist the public's involvement in the
\ninvestigation as it may disturb the force's political work.\"
\n(25\/bby\/ylt\/edt)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/eight-named-suspects-in-bombings-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}