Marriott suspects say more attacks planned<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta\/Bandung\/Cirebon<\/p>\n
Two JW Marriott Hotel bombing suspects, who were arrested on
\nWednesday morning, told police that their cohorts were planning
\nmore bomb attacks in the country, National Police Chief Gen. Da'i
\nBachtiar said here on Thursday.<\/p>\n
The suspects, Tohir alias Masrizal and Ismail alias Ricky
\nPutranto, said the bombing plans had been organized by Dr.
\nAzahari bin Husin, a former Malaysian professor of statistics at
\nthe Malaysian Institute of Technology who is still on the run and
\nwanted in connection for his roles in the Marriott and the Bali
\nattacks.<\/p>\n
Azahari and Noordin Mohd Top, another Malaysian, were
\napparently hiding out in a house in Bandung as recently as Monday
\nor Tuesday according to the police, but when officers raided the
\nhouse on Wednesday night, they had already fled.<\/p>\n
Tohir and Ismail were arrested on Wednesday morning in a
\nCirebon hotel, West Java, with five explosive devices, possibly
\nblasting caps, in their luggage.<\/p>\n
"From their confessions, the police learned that Azahari has
\nmade plans for another bomb attack, but Azahari and Noordin
\nmanaged to escape when we tried to arrest them in the Bandung
\narea," Da'i said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile in Bandung, police found four homemade bombs at the
\nroom rented by Azahari and Noordin. The high-explosive bombs were
\nlater detonated at a nearby field.<\/p>\n
Da'i warned the public of possible bombings as the two
\nfugitives were carrying assembled bombs with them and ready to
\nattack.<\/p>\n
Azahari, Noordin and Ismail are among the most wanted terror
\nsuspects in Southeast Asia. They are all suspected members of the
\nJamaah Islamiyah (JI) terrorist network and allegedly played
\nmajor roles in last year's Bali bombing, which claimed more than
\n200 lives, and the Marriott bombing, which killed 12 people and
\ninjured 147 others.<\/p>\n
The police distributed fresh pictures of the two men as they
\nbelieved the fugitives were still holed up somewhere in West
\nJava.<\/p>\n
In Cirebon, the police also disposed of the five blasting
\ncaps, which were packed in small tubes, an eye glass holder and a
\ncigarette pack. The two suspects had them hidden in their waist
\npacks.<\/p>\n
Bomb squad officers said that the bombs were made with a high
\ndegree of expertise and were ready to be detonated at any time.<\/p>\n
In the Marriott bombing Ismail, 28, apparently helped Azahari
\nto assemble the Marriott bombs.<\/p>\n
Ismail was also wanted by police detectives as he had
\npurchased the blue metallic Kijang minivan along with Arief,
\nanother suspect who is still at large.<\/p>\n
The van was then used to carry more than 150 kilograms of
\nexplosives and 20 liters of fuel to create a fireball effect in
\nthe bombing.<\/p>\n
Tohir has been accused of being the field commander in the
\nbombing, along with Asmar Latin Sani who detonated the car bomb
\nand died in the incident. The two came from the same village in
\nMalalo, Agam, West Sumatra.<\/p>\n
West Java Police Chief Insp. Gen. Dadang Garnida said that
\naside from Azahari and Noordin, the police are also on the look
\nout for two more suspects related to the bombing who were
\nbelieved to be in the province.<\/p>\n
Coinciding with the arrest of the two suspects, the British
\nEmbassy here issued a new travel advisory emphasizing that
\nWesterners were "facing general threats" across the country.<\/p>\n
The embassy also said that there are indications of more
\nterrorist attacks in Indonesia, targeting Westerners, and people
\nshould avoid non-essential travel to the country.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/marriott-suspects-say-more-attacks-planned-1447893297",
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