Police name suspect in explosive materials possession case<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
A 43-year old man has been named a suspect for allegedly
\npossessing almost a half ton of ammonium nitrate, the same
\nexplosive material used in the Bali bombings, police in the
\nCentral Sulawesi capital of Palu said on Saturday.<\/p>\n
The suspect, identified only by his initials as DJ, is the
\nowner of the house where the chemical substance was seized last
\nTuesday, provincial police spokesman Adj. Sr. Comr. Agus Sugianto
\ntold the Antara news agency.<\/p>\n
He said DJ confessed to owning the 425 kilograms or 17 packs
\nof French-made ammonium nitrate, usually used as fertilizer by
\nfarmers.<\/p>\n
The intended use of the chemical was still being investigated,
\nSugianto said.<\/p>\n
The suspect told police he had bought the chemical at the Wani
\nseaport, Tawaeli subdistrict, Donggala regency, 30 kilometers
\nfrom Palu, for commercial reasons, he said.<\/p>\n
However, the suspect could not identify the seller from whom
\nhe purchased the chemicals, he said.<\/p>\n
\"DJ did not remember the name of the trader in question,\"
\nSugianto said, but added that the suspect said the seller came
\nfrom Kalimantan island.<\/p>\n
He said the suspect was lured to the \"illegal\" trade because
\nit generated huge profits. \"DJ bought ammonium nitrate for Rp 175
\nper pack and sold it for Rp 250 per pack. Besides, the product
\nsells well.\"<\/p>\n
Sugianto said the suspect had sold at least five packs to a
\nlocal farmer but could not give the buyer's name.<\/p>\n
Sugianto said the police could declare more suspects as the
\ninvestigation continued.<\/p>\n
It was the second biggest catch by Central Sulawesi Police
\nafter they found 20 packs or 250 kilograms of the same fertilizer
\nin a Kijang van in Palu on Christmas Day.<\/p>\n
The police arrested at least five people including the car's
\n32-year-old driver, Sulaiman, in relation to the Dec. 25 find,
\nand were hunting for Risman, 41, the alleged owner of the
\nchemical.<\/p>\n
The fertilizer was allegedly smuggled to Sojol subdistrict in
\nDonggala from Tawao in Malaysia through the western coastal area
\nof Central Sulawesi, about 300 kilometers from Palu. The area is
\nvulnerable to smuggling.<\/p>\n
Ammonium nitrate can be mixed with fuel oil to make a powerful
\nexplosive. It was allegedly used in the Oct. 12 Bali blasts that
\nkilled more than 190 people and injured some 300 others, mostly
\nWestern tourists.<\/p>\n
However, police investigating the Bali bombings found traces
\nof extremely high explosives, such as RDX, at the blast site.
\nTheir sources remain unexplained.<\/p>\n
Timothy McVeigh used two tons of ammonium nitrate -- mixed in
\nbarrels and loaded into a rental truck -- to bomb the federal
\nbuilding in Oklahoma City in 1995, killing at least 168 people.<\/p>\n
Jamaah Islamiyah, the al-Qaida linked regional terror group
\nblamed for the Bali blasts, is believed to have stockpiled about
\nfour tons of the substance.<\/p>\n
Several bombs have exploded over the last year in Palu. Almost
\n1,000 people have been killed in the Central Sulawesi town of
\nPoso in fighting between Muslims and Christians since mid-2000. A
\npeace deal signed between the rival factions in December 2001 has
\nsignificantly reduced the clashes, although sporadic violence
\nstill erupts.<\/p>\n
Ammonium nitrate is widely used by farmers, while fishermen
\nalso use the substance to make bombs to stun fish. Its sale is
\nrestricted, and it is a crime to possess it without a license.<\/p>",
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