Al-Ghozi admits to role in Philippine Embassy bombing
Al-Ghozi admits to role in Philippine Embassy bombing
Jim Gomez, Associated Press, Manila
An Indonesian man convicted of possessing explosives in the Philippines has allegedly admitted to detonating a bomb in Jakarta, which killed two people and seriously injured the Filipino ambassador three years ago, police said on Sunday.
Fathur Rohman al-Ghozi made the admission to Indonesian police investigators, who interrogated him recently in Manila, Philippine police intelligence director Robert Delfin said.
He said al-Ghozi confessed that he detonated the bomb by remote control outside the Jakarta residence of Philippine Ambassador Leonides Caday in August 2000.
"He made the confession because he was confronted with testimonies of other people who pointed to him as the bomber," Delfin told The Associated Press in a telephone interview.
Philippine police officials were present during the questioning, he said.
Al-Ghozi allegedly fled on a motorcycle after the attack with a companion, the Philippine Star newspaper quoted another police intelligence official, Jaime Caringal, as saying on Sunday.
Delfin said it was up to Indonesian authorities whether to file charges against al-Ghozi in connection with the bomb attack.
Al-Ghozi was not immediately available for comment.
In Jakarta, National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. Edward Aritonang refused to comment on al-Ghozi's confession, saying that the National Police had yet to receive a formal report from the detectives sent to Manila to question al-Ghozi.
Edward told The Jakarta Post three police detectives have been in the Philippines for two weeks to quiz al-Ghozi and another Indonesian detained in Manila, Agus Dwikarna, for their alleged roles in a series of bomb attacks in Indonesia between 2000 and 2002.
Al-Ghozi, who was arrested in Manila in January last year, pleaded guilty to charges of possessing explosives in the Philippines last April and was sentenced to 10 to 12 years in prison.
Philippine police claim al-Ghozi is a member of Jamaah Islamiyah (JI), a regional Islamic extremist group linked to al- Qaeda. Jamaah Islamiyah has been blamed for the bombings in Bali, which killed 202 people last October.
Authorities have also linked al-Ghozi to bombings that killed 22 people in Manila on Dec. 30, 2000.
Authorities in the Philippines and Singapore have also implicated al-Ghozi in alleged attempts by Jamaah Islamiyah to bomb the U.S. and Israeli embassies in Manila, as well as western targets in Singapore.