Team concludes probe, but no arrests are made<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Kuta\/Jakarta<\/p>\n
A multinational team investigating the site of the Bali terrorist
\nattacks concluded its probe on Friday, but members of the team
\nare still struggling to find the perpetrators of the blast that
\nkilled 190 and injured over 300 others.<\/p>\n
A brief memorial service attended by several foreign
\ndiplomats, including British and U.S. ambassadors, marked the
\ncompletion and was presided over by Royal Australian Air Force
\n(RAAF) chaplain Patrick Woods.<\/p>\n
The memorial was held in the area in front of the Sari Club, a
\npopular nightspot devastated by the powerful explosion, and where
\nthe majority of the victims were killed.<\/p>\n
Most of those attending the service laid floral wreaths before
\njoining a moment of silence.<\/p>\n
With its conclusion, the crime scene was officially handed
\nover to the Bali administration, particularly the people of Kuta,
\nwho would soon start preparations for an upcoming Hindu
\npurification ceremony on Nov. 15.<\/p>\n
"We have retrieved all necessary evidence and clues from the
\nscene. Now we will enter the next stage, in which we will analyze
\nall that stuff in the laboratory. We are very confident that we
\nhave all we need to nail these bad guys down," an Australian
\nFederal Police (AFP) forensic team member said.<\/p>\n
President Megawati had given the team until the end of
\nNovember to clear the blast site, which has been closed to
\ntraffic and the general public since the fatal explosion took
\nplace on Oct. 12.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, police investigators were still struggling to find
\nthe perpetrators of the terrorist attacks, believed to be the
\nsecond largest after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks in New York and
\nWashington, which killed over 3,000 people.<\/p>\n
Head of the investigation team Insp. Gen. I Made Mangku
\nPastika said on Friday that his team had received numerous tips
\nfrom the public, claiming that they had seen the people described
\nin the sketches that were released on Wednesday. Some had even
\nprovided the police with the names of the suspects, he said.<\/p>\n
"Our officers are now investigating these tips, and checking
\nto see whether they have a strong alibi or not when the blast
\noccurred. We received more than 10 names, but there are less than
\n10 names that are currently under investigation," he said.<\/p>\n
In Jakarta, National Police chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar said on
\nFriday that police were confident that they had positively
\nidentified a suspect believed to have planted the bombs.<\/p>\n
"The eyewitnesses confirmed that he was the one when we showed
\nthem a photograph which is quite similar to one of the sketches.
\nSo it simply means that the photograph and sketch refer to the
\nsame guy," Da'i said.<\/p>\n
Da'i was referring to the man that fits the description of
\nhaving droopy eyes, full cheeks and full lips and who is possibly
\nfrom East Java.<\/p>\n
"We went to the homes of his relatives and other places he
\nfrequents to find out if he had been there," said Da'i.<\/p>\n
Police obtained the original photograph from the suspect's
\nhome after informants identified him as a bomb expert from the
\nsketches based on the descriptions given by eyewitnesses.<\/p>\n
Da'i said one of the witnesses was the owner of the Kijang van
\nin which police had found traces of a chemical powder used in the
\nbomb and who rented the vehicle to the three men in the sketches.<\/p>\n
In addition, Da'i said police also had a key witness, named
\nChusnul Chatimah, who was undergoing medical treatment in
\nAustralia.<\/p>\n
Police said that Chusnul saw someone place a package at the
\nbomb site.<\/p>\n
Da'i, however, said police were still investigating the group
\nbehind the bombings.<\/p>\n
"We haven't finished our investigation yet," said Da'i.<\/p>\n
A senior investigator on the police's joint inquiry team said
\nin Kuta, on Friday that the bombers were well-trained,
\ncoordinated and had above average bomb-making skills.<\/p>\n
"The information received to date would indicate that the
\nindividuals or groups responsible for the attack are well-trained
\nand coordinated. One indication of this is the way in which the
\nevents were successfully planned and executed to achieve maximum
\ncasualties," Commander Steven Jackson of the AFP said at a news
\nconference.<\/p>\n
Jackson was the foreign investigator team's second in command.<\/p>\n
"Additionally, improvised explosive devices (IEDs) were well-
\nplaced to take advantage of the surrounding buildings at the
\nincident site in Kuta. Technical experts in Bali have assessed
\nthe skill level of the bombmakers responsible for designing and
\nbuilding the IEDs used at the incident sites as of an above-
\naverage standard," Jackson said.<\/p>\n
He also stressed that there was no evidence to suggest that
\nany of the blasts were detonated by a suicide bomber.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/team-concludes-probe-but-no-arrests-are-made-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}