Four more bomb suspects arrested<\/p>\n
Jupriadi, The Jakarta Post, Makassar, South Sulawesi<\/p>\n
Police in the South Sulawesi capital of Makassar said on Thursday
\nthey had arrested four people as possible suspects in last week's
\nbombings, including the father and a younger brother of Agung
\nHamid, the alleged mastermind of the Dec. 5 blasts.<\/p>\n
South Sulawesi Police chief Insp. Gen. Firman Gani told
\njournalists in Makassar that Agung's father Abdul Hamid and
\nbrother Iwal Hamid were arrested at their family home in Barru
\nregency, South Sulawesi, where the police found TNT, a high
\nexplosive bomb-making material.<\/p>\n
Firman did not reveal the amount of TNT found in Abdul Hamid's
\nhome, saying only that it was separate from the 2.5 kilograms of
\nTNT found at a metal workshop belonging to Masnur, another key
\nsuspect.<\/p>\n
\"The father and a younger brother of Agung Hamid are
\nundergoing intensive interrogation and have been declared
\npossible suspects in relation to the possession of TNT,\" Firman
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
The two were believed to have had prior knowledge of plans by
\nthe Agung-led plotters to bomb both a McDonald's restaurant and a
\nToyota car dealership, he added.<\/p>\n
At least three persons were killed in the blasts that left
\nanother 30 injured.<\/p>\n
Agung's two wives, Ety Suherti and Panca Budi, were also
\ngrilled by police investigators, but it remained unclear whether
\nthey were detained or released.<\/p>\n
Aside from Abdul Hamid and Iwal Hamid, police also detained as
\npossible suspects Khairul and Utan. They are being held for
\nquestioning in Central Sulawesi Police Headquarters in Palu.<\/p>\n
\"The two persons were arrested on the basis of information
\nfrom suspects and witnesses that was obtained by investigators in
\nMakassar,\" Firman said.<\/p>\n
Police have so far named 10 suspects -- Agung, Azhar Daeng
\nSalam, Muchtar Daeng Lau, Usman, Masnur, Ilham, Suryadi, Lukman
\nHasan, Hisbullah Rasyid and Dahlan.<\/p>\n
Six of the suspects have thus far been arrested and police are
\nnow searching for the remaining three -- Agung, Dahlan and
\nHisbullah. One suspect, Ansar, believed to be a field operative,
\nwas among the three persons killed in the bombings.<\/p>\n
Firman said he has proposed that National Police chief Gen.
\nDa'i Bachtiar impose a travel ban on Agung, the alleged
\nmastermind of the Makassar bombings -- who was trained in
\nAfghanistan and the Philippines -- and the two other suspects
\nstill at large.<\/p>\n
Agung and at least one other suspect, Muchtar, are suspected
\nmembers of the radical Laskar Jundullah group, whose leader Agus
\nDwikarna was sentenced by the Philippines to 17 years in prison
\nfor illegal possession of explosives.<\/p>\n
But, the police appeared to be trying not to link the Makassar
\nblasts with Laskar Jundullah, saying the attacks were perpetrated
\nsolely by those involved in a national and regional network.<\/p>\n
Also on Wednesday, investigators raided the house of Lukman on
\nJl. Amirullah in Makassar and found a number of timers, believed
\nto be for detonating bombs.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, lawyers grouped in the Advocacy Team for the
\nVictims of the Antiterrorism Regulation (TAKPAT), accused police
\nof violating human rights and the Criminal Procedures Code in
\ntheir moves to arrest suspects and witnesses.<\/p>\n
\"The police have made arrests and staged raids on suspects and
\nwitnesses without first providing sufficient evidence, and they
\nbase their actions on the antiterrorism regulation in lieu of a
\nlaw,\" spokesman for the team Abraham Samad said on Thursday.<\/p>\n
Article 26 of the newly-enacted regulation allows the police
\nto make arrests based solely on intelligence reports.<\/p>\n
\"This article contradicts Article 17 of the Criminal
\nProcedures Code, which stipulates that a person can be arrested
\nonly if there is prima facie evidence against him,\" Abraham said.<\/p>\n
Responding to the accusations, Firman said, \"that's not a
\nproblem as we work for and are responsible to the public, the
\nstate and God. I assure you, we are not engaged in any sort of
\nmanipulation in this case\".<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/four-more-bomb-suspects-arrested-1447893297",
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