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)