Cops search Cimanggis group's files

P.C. Naommy and Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The National Police are examining files in a notebook computer seized from the site of an explosion in Cimanggis, Depok, for clues about possible networks and the financial sources of a group whose members accidentally detonated a homemade bomb during training.

National Police chief of detectives Insp. Gen. Suyitno Landung Soedjono told the press on Friday that the police had copied files from the notebook computer owned by Oman Rahman, the suspected leader of the group.

"A joint Jakarta-National Police team was set up to glean more information from the copied files," he said.

Suyitno declined to give more details on the files, saying the team had yet to study them.

He also said the police were continuing a probe into a letter found at the crime scene to verify whether the group had planned a number of bomb attacks in several Jakarta shopping malls.

Oman's letter was addressed to his family in Sumedang, West Java, asking them to stay away from public places, including shopping malls, and not to join the general election as they were arranged by heathens.

Jakarta Police chief of detectives Sr. Comr. Mathius Salempang said the police officially had nine suspects -- Oman, Ferdiansyah, Syarif Hidayat, Agus Kusnianto, Kamaluddin, Septiono H. Widiantono, Ubaedah, Inggrid and Syamsu M. Arif -- in their custody. Widiantono and Ubaedah were arrested respectively on Wednesday and Thursday and declared suspects shortly after their arrests.

Police are continuing their interrogation of Wasis and Candra Pasma -- who were declared suspects earlier -- along with four others.

The police have questioned 28 people since the Cimanggis explosion on the night of March 21, and released 13 people hours after the blast.

City police spokesman Sr. Comr. Prasetyo said they had yet to confirm whether the Cimanggis group was a new group or a part of a larger terror network.