Blast kills suspected bombmaker
La Remmy and Erik W., The Jakarta Post, Palu, Sulawesi Tengah
A suspected bombmaker was killed on Thursday as the powerful explosive device he was assembling exploded in the Central Sulawesi regency of Poso, which has been experiencing an uneasy peace after two years of sectarian fighting finished in 2001.
The victim was identified as Bachtiar alias Manto, 20, said Central Sulawesi Police chief Brig. Gen. M. Taufik Ridha.
He said the blast blew off Bachtiar's hands and severely damaged his legs, head, eyes and chest. He died instantly.
Taufik said the home-made bomb exploded at around 9 a.m. in a house belonging to Bachtiar's father Arsiah Ali, in Kayamanya village, Poso.
Arsiah survived the incident as he was outside the house. But most parts of the house, including the roof, windows and its front wall, were destroyed.
"So, the exploding bomb was quite powerful," Taufik said.
He said Bachtiar was wanted by the police for his alleged involvement in a July 11 bombing, that wounded four people at the Victoria cafe in Poso. One of the victims, identified as Sutrisno, 40, sustained serious wounds, and had his right leg and left hand amputated.
Bachtiar had also been wanted in connection with the burning of a Linda Jaya bus in 2001, Taufik added.
"We have been searching for him since the incident in 2001. And we finally found him killed by an explosion in his own house," he said.
The police chief said Bachtiar was the suspected maker of the bomb. His body was found in a crouched position and bent over, close to the location of the bomb's explosion.
Police also discovered ammonium nitrate, cables, a kerosene lamp, a timer, batteries and a lighter.
Taufik said the preliminary findings show that Bachtiar may have also been connected with several other bomb explosions at state-owned electricity company PT PLN's office in Palu, Central Kalimantan.
The latest blast came two days after a powerful bomb explosion killed 10 people at the luxurious JW Marriott Hotel in Jakarta on Tuesday.
However, police have not yet linked the Poso blast with the Marriot attack. They are questioning five witnesses, including Bachtiar's parents about the incident, Taufik said.
Some 2,000 people were killed in Poso during two years of fighting between Muslim and Christian groups. In December 2001, the government brokered a peace deal between the warring factions but sporadic violence continues.
Since the peace pact, a series of bombing incidents and unsolved shootings has occurred in Poso. None of the suspects have been caught, despite enforced security.
On July 10, Yulius Ledo Pamimi, a 32-year-old resident of Saatu village in Poso, was shot dead by a sniper.
Police were still in the dark about the culprits as the bullets that killed Yulius could not be recovered because his family refused to permit an autopsy to be performed.
Another bomb also exploded in June in Kawua village, Lage subdistrict, when local residents were holding a traditional dance party. No injuries were reported in this blast.
In May, two other people were also shot dead by snipers in another part of Poso.
The chairman of the Poso national unity board, Moch Amirullah Sia, claimed the Thursday blast surprised local people but did not alter regular activities.
"The situation here is normal, the residents are not provoked and they carry out the daily activities as usual," he said.