Probe goes on amid snafu about suspects<\/p>\n
Dadan Wijaksana and Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar\/Jakarta<\/p>\n
Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs
\nSusilo Bambang Yudhoyono admitted on Thursday the possible
\ninvolvement of foreigners in last Saturday's bombing in Bali amid
\nconfusion over the number of people who had been declared
\nsuspects.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian Police said on Thursday they were focusing
\ntheir investigations on four people, but another police report
\nsaid there were now eight suspects, including one foreigner.<\/p>\n
\"There could be involvement by both foreigners and
\nIndonesians, or there could be collaboration between them.<\/p>\n
\"But once again, I have to wait until the investigation is
\nsufficiently advanced to give any sort of clarification,\" Susilo
\nsaid during a press conference in Bali.<\/p>\n
Earlier on Tuesday, National Intelligence Agency (BIN) chief
\nA.M. Hendropriyono said the technology and skills employed by the
\nattackers indicated they were from abroad.<\/p>\n
Hendro was referring to the C4 plastic explosive used in the
\nBali bombing, which is a very powerful substance mainly
\nmanufactured in the United States but widely supplied to military
\nforces around the world.<\/p>\n
Susilo's remark may serve as an indication that the government
\nis about to take a tougher stance against the country's radical
\ngroups, accused by many of having links to international
\nterrorists.<\/p>\n
Susilo also vowed to take action against any of the radicals
\nif they were proven to have been involved in terrorist acts.<\/p>\n
Early this week, the government finally admitted that al-Qaeda
\nand Jamaah Islamiyah were present in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Susilo also met with Bali Police chief Brig. Gen. Budi
\nSetyawan to discuss developments in the blast probe.<\/p>\n
Budi said the police had yet to charge anyone as a suspect
\nalthough they had questioned 45 witnesses.<\/p>\n
\"We have released 40 witnesses and now the investigations are
\nfocused on four people: two civilians, one security guard and a
\nformer Air Force officer. Two of the witnesses have been flown to
\nJakarta because other intelligence officers needed them there for
\nfurther questioning,\" Budi said.<\/p>\n
Bali Police spokesman Adj. Sr. Comr. Yatim Suyatmo, meanwhile,
\nsaid that investigators were intensively questioning a group of
\neight people, one foreigner and seven Indonesians.<\/p>\n
\"We hope that we will be able to establish any possible links
\nthey had with the culprits,\" Yatim told The Associated Press, but
\nfailed to identify them.<\/p>\n
The combined team of investigators from Indonesia and six
\nother countries is in charge of the overall investigation. The
\nsix countries are Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Japan, Britain
\nand the United States.<\/p>\n
AP also quoted an unnamed Malaysian government official who
\nsuspected a wanted Malaysian with bomb-making skills to have been
\ninvolved in the Bali blast.<\/p>\n
The official said the suspect, identified as Azahari Husin,
\nwas among seven militants who fled to Indonesia in January as
\nMalaysia and Singapore arrested scores of suspects allegedly
\nplotting to bomb the U.S. and other Western embassies in
\nSingapore.<\/p>\n
\"Our intelligence shows that Azahari is likely to have had a
\nhand in the bombing. He is well trained in all types of bombs,
\nespecially remote-controlled explosives,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The official offered no evidence, but said the conclusions
\nwere reached by Malaysian intelligence, which has successfully
\ndisrupted the network at home so far.<\/p>\n
It was not clear whether the suspect was the same person who
\ndeputized a team of seven people mentioned by Indonesian
\nintelligence officers as having orchestrated the Bali strikes.<\/p>\n
As reported earlier by this newspaper, investigators were
\nintensifying their efforts to seek information about the group,
\nwhich they said had entered the country through Semarang in
\nCentral Java just two days before the attacks occurred.<\/p>\n
The sources said the group was led by a Yemeni and deputized
\nby a Malaysian, while the other members remained unknown,
\nalthough two of them were believed to have links with a string of
\nbomb attacks in the Philippines.<\/p>\n
When asked to comment on the existence of the group of seven,
\nNational Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Saleh Saaf said he had yet
\nto receive any information about it.<\/p>\n
In a related development, National Police chief Gen. Da'i
\nBachtiar told reporters on Thursday that the reason behind the
\nquestioning of the former Air Force officer, identified as Dedi
\nMasrukhin, was that there were suspicions that needed to be
\nlooked into.<\/p>\n
He added that among the things that called for an
\ninvestigation were his alibi and experience, given his expertise
\nin explosives.<\/p>\n
Dedi learned his explosives' skills in the U.S. when he was
\nserving in the Air Force. He was discharged from the service last
\nyear for drug abuse.<\/p>",
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