Police quiz man believed to know about bomb blast<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Police have finally found and questioned a man
\ntipped earlier by witnesses as the one who could possibly have
\ninformation about the blast that rocked the attorney general's
\noffice last week, a senior officer said on Thursday.<\/p>\n
South Jakarta Police chief Sr. Supt. Edward Aritonang refused
\nto give any explanations about the man, such as his whereabouts
\nat the time of the blast and what the witnesses had to say about
\nhis possible role in the crime.<\/p>\n
Edward, a former city police spokesman, said only that the
\nperson was a civilian and the driver of a Toyota Hardtop jeep
\nparked near the office compound.<\/p>\n
He also refused to reveal when and where this mysterious
\nperson was found and by whom.<\/p>\n
The man had been sought by the police, who were in the process
\nof producing an artist's likeness of him based on information
\nfrom 20 witnesses, including the nine bodyguards of former
\npresident Soeharto's son, Hutomo Mandala Putra, who had just
\nfinished being questioned at the attorney general's office when
\nthe hand-made bomb rocked the building on Tuesday evening last
\nweek.<\/p>\n
\"Since he has already been found and has been handed over to
\nthe South Jakarta police today for questioning, it's no longer
\nnecessary for us to continue making the sketch,\" Edward said.<\/p>\n
Initially, the sketch of the man would have been widely
\ndistributed to the public as a suspect in the blast.<\/p>\n
Rumors circulated earlier on Thursday that a member of the
\nPresidential Guard had been arrested for his alleged role in the
\nbombing and had been brought to South Jakarta Police
\nHeadquarters.<\/p>\n
Like Edward, none of the police officers close to the
\ninvestigation were initially willing to comment on the matter.
\nBut a source at the police station said the person (the
\nPresidential Guard member) had already driven home to his
\nresidence in Tanjung Priok, North Jakarta, shortly after being
\nquestioned on Thursday.<\/p>\n
Later in the afternoon, Edward said that the rumors were
\ntotally groundless, saying that the man who had been brought to
\nthe station was the driver of the jeep and was a civilian.<\/p>\n
\"He's a civilian. He was just the driver of the white Toyota
\nHardtop car,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Edward, however, said that his investigators would, in the
\nmeantime, focus their investigation on the driver since he had
\nmade some contradictory statements.<\/p>\n
The man said that he was with five other men in the jeep and
\nhad parked the car at the office compound only to see the blast,
\nhe explained.<\/p>\n
\"If they wanted to see the blast, why were all of them there
\n(near the scene) inside a car?\" Edward said in a somewhat
\nconfusing statement and then refused to elaborate further.<\/p>\n
Shortly after the blast, the grounds of the attorney general's
\noffice -- located very near the busy Blok M bus terminal and
\nshopping center -- were immediately inundated by onlookers.<\/p>\n
Edward also refused to explain whether or not the other five
\nmen had already been identified or questioned.<\/p>\n
But the officer said some of the witnesses saw the five leave
\nthe jeep before the blast occurred.<\/p>\n
\"We are still investigating the case. It is too early to say
\nwhether any military personnel were involved,\" he said, referring
\nto a morning paper report on Thursday which identified the
\nsuspect as being an ex-member of the Presidential Guard.<\/p>\n
No fatalities were recorded when the blast ripped through the
\nbuilding.<\/p>\n
Hutomo, better known as Tommy Soeharto, was questioned at the
\noffice as a witness over the purchasing of 144 hectares of land
\nin Citereup subdistrict, Bogor, West Java, for the establishment
\nof the large Sentul Circuit.<\/p>\n
Police said earlier that none of Tommy's nine bodyguards, all
\npolice or military personnel, were involved in the blast.<\/p>\n
The homemade bomb exploded in a bathroom in the office
\ncompound. A day later, another explosive device bearing the
\ndistinctive military-one (M1) code was also found on the second
\nfloor of the building.<\/p>\n
In Bandung, Army spokesman Brig. Gen. F.X. Bachtiar said on
\nThursday that the Army has searched the records concerning the
\ndistribution of such bombs among its units and found that none of
\nthe bombs were unaccounted for.<\/p>\n
\"We have checked the distribution and flow of all types of
\nexplosive devices. Most of the explosives have been used in field
\nexercises, simulations or classes and the rest are still in the
\narsenals,\" Bachtiar said without elaborating further.<\/p>\n
\"We will continue to coordinating with the police and support
\ntheir investigation into this matter,\" he said. (asa\/25\/edt)<\/p>",
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