Acehnese man arrested over bombing

BANDA ACEH: Banda Aceh Police have arrested Khairul M. Djamil, one of six Acehnese people suspected of being behind the bomb blast that occurred during the celebration of Independence Day over the weekend.

Adj. Sr. Comr. Alfons, chief of the Banda Aceh Municipal Police, said Khairul was captured at his residence in Ulee Kareng village in Aceh Besar regency on Tuesday.

The suspect admitted that he was a member of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) and that he placed the bomb at the site under the instructions of Teungku Dahlan, a GAM executive in Aceh Besar.

The suspect also placed several bombs at other places in the city but they did not explode.

Alfons said the police were still hunting the five other suspects believed to be hiding in the province.

Teungku Muksalmina, spokesman for GAM in Aceh Besar, rejected Khairul's claims, saying GAM was not involved in the bombing and Khairul has been made a scapegoat in the case.

"The military has used the case to discredit GAM," he said. --JP