Alleged GAM arms supplier nabbed

BANDUNG: Bandung City Police arrested a gun-and-ammunition supplier for the armed separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM) early Sunday morning at his rented house on Jl. Terusan Kiaracondong, an officer said on Monday.

The police confiscated 17,482 live bullets, six revolvers, a pen gun, three magazines of FN handgun with 33 bullets, and 40 boxes containing 2,000 bullets of caliber .38, manufactured by PT. Pindad, from the 30-year-old suspect Subhan Budiyanto.

Bandung Police chief Sr. Supt. Alex Bambang Riatmodjo said the arrest was enable following police investigation into another alleged GAM supplier Ali Mohammad, who was arrested on Tuesday last week for his alleged role in supplying bomb materials and guns to Ibrahim, one of the 25 suspects in the bombing at the Jakarta Stock Exchange (JSX) building on Sept. 13. The bomb blast left at least 10 fatalities and 25 others injured.

"So far, we suspect that their (Ali and Subhan) involvement was purely business," he said, adding that the police also found a safety box containing trading documents and a sum of money, which Subhan said, belonging to Ali.

The arrest had added to the four people arrested by Bandung police over allegations of supplying firearms and ammunition to GAM, which is a violation against the emergency law no. 1/1951 on illegal firearms possession. (25/lup)