Atrium bombing suspect arrested in Aceh, police claim drug ties

Nani Farida, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh

The Pidie Police announced on Saturday that they had arrested a man suspected of involvement in the bombing of a shopping plaza in Jakarta two years ago.

The suspect, identified as 34-year old Abdullah Yassin, was arrested in Gigieng village, Pidie, Aceh during an operation 10 days ago, the police chief, Sr. Comr. Agus Salim, said.

"Our preliminary investigation reveals that the bombing at the Atrium Senen Plaza occurred due to rivalry between marijuana mafia groups that supply marijuana to Jakarta from Aceh," Agus told reporters.

According to Agus, Yassin had told police investigators that the bombing was carried out by groups under the leadership of Yos and Tengku. No further details were given about Yos and Tengku.

Agus did not mention the exact bombing case because there were two blasts at the plaza in 2001. The first was that in August and the second was in September.

A Jakarta court has sent some of the perpetrators of the first bombing, which injured six people including one of the bombers, to prison. The group that carried out the first bombing was possibly linked to the regional terrorist network Jamaah Islamiyah (JI).

The police declared that the second bombing was linked to the Free Aceh Movement (GAM). Aznani, the wife of Tengku Ismuhadi, an Acehnese jailed for life for the JSX bombing in 2000, has been declared a suspect in the case although she is longer under police detention.

The police also named another man, identified as Ramli, as a suspect. Ramli remains at large.

The police have yet to determine whether Yassin is a member of GAM.

Agus also said that Yassin had admitted that he bought smuggled marijuana while residing in Jakarta. The police raided his home in South Jakarta last year but he managed to escape to Aceh.

Agus said police released Yassin on the request of his family, to give him some time to celebrate Idul Fitri with his family. However, the police took him into custody again on Thursday.

"Based on an intelligence report, it is likely that he was involved in the (Atrium) bombing case in Jakarta," Agus said.

Yassin is currently being held at the Pidie Police Station, about 112 kilometers east of Banda Aceh. His interrogation is expected to resume on Monday following the arrival of officers from Jakarta.

Meanwhile, the Indonesian Military said on Saturday that it had killed five suspected GAM members and arrested a man believed to be a high-ranking GAM official and four women, who are said to be members of GAM's female wing Inong Balee, during operations in the province on Friday and Saturday.

Lt. Col. Ahmad Yani Basuki, the spokesman of the military administration in Aceh, said that police confiscated a machete, a Colt pistol, two walkie-talkies, a pair of shoes and a green shirt on separate operations in six locations. There had been 13 shootouts during the operations.

The suspected Inong Balee members, who were arrested in Pidie on Friday, are currently being detained at the Pidie Police Station.

The military has claimed that they have killed more than 1,100 GAM members and seized 485 weapons since the imposition of martial law in May. Some 2,000 other GAM members have also been arrested or surrendered, it claimed. GAM is believed to have 5,000 members before the government declared martial law in the province on May 19.