Bombs at TMII provided by fugitive Tommy: Police

Bombs at TMII provided by fugitive Tommy: Police

JAKARTA (JP): Police said on Saturday a woman arrested at
Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (TMII) on Friday in the possession of
three bombs admitted she received the bombs from Hutomo "Tommy"
Mandala Putra, the fugitive son of former president Soeharto.

They also said they had uncovered a number of clues that
pointed to Tommy's possible involvement in the Christmas Eve
bombings.

National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. Saleh Saaf said here the
woman, 33-year-old Elize Maria Tuwahatu, alias Baby, revealed
during marathon police questioning that she received the bombs
from Tommy, who has been in hiding for three months.

"Based on our preliminary investigation, there are some
similarities between the bombs (found in the possession of Elize)
and those that exploded on Christmas Eve," Saleh said at
National Police Headquarters.

Saleh said Elize admitted to meeting with Tommy on Jl. Cilacap
in Central Jakarta on Jan. 14.

He said Elize, accompanied by an acquaintance, Lisa, arrived
at the meeting in a Timor sedan and received the bombs and three
checks for Rp 25 million (US$2,632) each from the billionaire
businessman, who arrived in a Kijang van.

During police questioning, Elize said she cashed the checks at
two separate banks the following day, Saleh said.

The checks carried Tommy's name and signature, he added.

"At that time, Tommy's accounts had not yet been frozen. We
will check with the banks on Monday."

Attorney General Marzuki Darusman said on Friday all of
Tommy's accounts at Indonesian banks had been frozen by the
central bank.

Saleh said police also would investigate five cellular phone
numbers belonging to Elize.

He said Elize's testimony had been crossed-checked with Lisa,
who admitted to witnessing the meeting between Elize and Tommy.

Police said Elize was arrested on Friday as she was giving two
plastic bags containing the three bombs to a man in Yogyakarta
Hall at Taman Mini.

Police also took into custody Elize's mother Sonya and her
driver following a raid on her house on Jl. Suwiryo in Menteng,
Central Jakarta, near houses belonging to the Soeharto family.

During the raid, police seized firecrackers and documents that
Saleh said might lead to an investigation into Tommy's possible
involvement in the Christmas Eve bombings in seven cities,
including Jakarta, that claimed at least 18 lives.

President Abdurrahman Wahid ordered Tommy's arrest for his
alleged role in the bomb blast at the Jakarta Stock Exchange
building in September of last year. Tommy denied he was involved
in the bombing and was never arrested.

Saleh said Sonya acknowledged that her only daughter had a
close relationship with Tommy, who has been sentenced to 18
months in prison for graft.

Besides Elize, who has been officially detained, police also
declared Sonya a suspect and are investigating her for keeping
the bombs in her house.

According to State Emergency Law No. 60/1951, the illegal
possession of firearms, explosives and weapons carries a maximum
punishment of death.

Saleh said the bombs seized at TMII resembled those used in
the Christmas Eve attacks.

He said each of the three bombs seized on Friday were destined
for three separate locations: the Attorney General's Office on
Jl. Sisingamangaraja and the Ministry of Industry and Trade and
the Directorate General of Taxation on Jl. Gatot Subroto, all in
South Jakarta.

According to the police investigation of the TMII bombs, one
of the plastic bags contained seven sticks of dynamite weighing a
total of 2.1 kilograms, a five-liter can of thinner, a switch, a
dry cell, two detonators and 150 nails.

The other bag contained two packages. One contained eight
sticks of dynamite, a can of thinner, a watch that functioned as
a switch, a dry cell, a detonator and steel nails. The other
contained two sticks of TNT, a watch that functioned as a switch
and a dry cell.

A source close to an independent team investigating the
Christmas Eve bombings said on Friday Elize bore a resemblance to
a woman described by witnesses who is believed to have planted a
bomb at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Matraman, East Jakarta.

Police have arrested six people in connection with these bomb
attacks.

Saleh said the arrest of Elize was made based on information
provided by a psychic identified as Ki Joko Bodo.

"Ki Bodo is now in our protection. His information could help
prevent future explosions that could kill many people," he said.

Police sources said Ki Bodo, a resident of Lubang Buaya, East
Jakarta, was approached by Elize four days before her arrest.
They said she offered him Rp 1 billion to plant the three bombs
at the government offices.

Ki Bodo, who claims to be one of dozens of psychics used by
Soeharto, told his friends, including a police officer, of
Elize's offer.

The police then sent a undercover officer to TMII to make "a
deal" with Elize before her arrest. (jun)