Amrozi owns up to possessing chemicals
Amrozi owns up to possessing chemicals
Rita A. Widiadana, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar
Bali bomb blast suspect Amrozi had admitted owning one ton of
chemicals found in the house of his business partner Askhuri in
Lamongan, East Java, and claimed the material was to be used in
Ambon, National Police said Tuesday.
"The chemical ingredients of the Bali bomb were different from
those found in Lamongan, East Java," said Brig. Gen. Edward
Aritonang, the spokesman of the Bali-based team investigating the
bombing.
On Monday, East Java police seized one ton of chemicals
believed to have been bought by Amrozi from chemical shop Tidar
Kimia, owned by Silvester Tendean in Surabaya, East Java.
Amrozi said he stored the chemicals at Askhuri's house in
Banjarwati village, Lamongan because of a lack of space. Askhuri,
arrested in Malaysia a few days ago, was Amrozi's partner in
selling cellular phones and motor cycles in their home town.
"Amrozi said he just waited for the order from someone to make
bombs slated for Ambon," Aritonang said, adding that police had
also questioned Silvester to cross check. The owner of the shop
had admitted to having sold the chemicals to Amrozi.
Aritonang said police had a difficult job searching for other
clues linking the Bali bombing to a series of attacks in Ambon,
Jakarta, Batam island, Makassar, South Sulawesi and other places
throughout Indonesia.
Persons involved in various bombings were assumed to have
relations, Aritonang said. Some chemical substances used for the
bombs were quite similar. "It seems there is a connection between
one and the other bombing perpetrators."
"We are still making further investigations simultaneously but
our first priority is the Bali bombing," Aritonang said. He added
that police already had enough evidence to arrest other suspects.
In Lamongan, police also arrested Askhuri's wife Murni and
their son Badri, daughter Arifah and son-in-law Tahubi.
Askhuri was reportedly arrested by Malaysian authorities on
Dec. 12. However, Aritonang said he had asked the Indonesian
investigating team in Malaysia to confirm the arrest.
"The name of the seized man was Ashuri not Askhuri,"
he said.
"Now, we are preparing to reconstruct the Bali bombing."
Aritonang said.