Da'i concludes separatist GAM responsible for bombings
Da'i concludes separatist GAM responsible for bombings
Damar Harsanto and Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post,
Jakarta
National Police chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar has said the separatist
Free Aceh Movement is believed to have been responsible for last
month's bombings at the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport and
near the UN building on Jl. Wahid Hasyim in Central Jakarta.
"This is our analysis, however we are still working hard (to
investigate the bombings)," Da'i told members of House of
Representatives Commission I for defense and information on
Wednesday.
"Right now, we have yet to arrest any suspects," he said, "but
our analysis thus far shows that there were similarities in the
explosives used."
Da'i said the pipe bombs used in both incidents were identical
and that police had concluded that the devices came from the same
group.
Also, the bombs were similar to devices used in a bombing in
Medan, which is also believed to have been the work of GAM.
All of the devices were low-yield bombs.
Police released on Tuesday four composite sketches of three
suspects in the bombings at the airport and the UN building.
GAM has denied involvement in the two bombings.
There were rumors on Wednesday that police had arrested one
person resembling a sketch of a Jl. Wahid Hasyim bomb suspect on
Tuesday afternoon in Gunung Putri, Bogor. Police reportedly plan
to confront the man with eyewitness.
When asked for confirmation, National Police spokesman Sr.
Comr. Zainuri Lubis said he had no information on the matter.
Da'i also told the House members that police had concluded
a string of bombings across the country over the past few years
were the work of two groups, one linked to Imam Samudra and the
other alleged Bali bombers and the other to GAM.
Da'i said the alleged Imam Samudra-linked group had admitted
to its role in the Bali bombings and several bombing in the South
Sulawesi capital of Makassar, the Riau capital of Pekanbaru and
several locations in Jakarta.
The GAM-linked group is believed to have been behind bombings
in Medan and at the Jakarta Stock Exchange building, the Atrium
Plaza in Senen, Central Jakarta, the Cijantung Mall in East
Jakarta, and the Malaysian Embassy.
In a related development, the East Jakarta District Court
sentenced on Tuesday Syahrul, alias Sugeng Junaedi, to 15 years
in prison for his role in last year's Cijantung Mall bombing.
The sentence handed down by the panel of judges, led by
Mansyur Nasution, was above the seven-year jail term asked for by
prosecutors.
According to the verdict, the bombing "caused trauma in the
society and had a negative impact on both international and
national security and economic affairs".
The court earlier sentenced M. Nadar, alias Arun, alias Atom,
to two years in prison for planting a bomb in the mall, which is
partly owned by the Army's Special Forces and is located near the
forces' headquarters.
Three other defendants -- Fachrizal Hasan, alias Fachri, alias
Nyak Mad; Irsyadi, alias Bambang Setiawan, alias Mudawali; and
Ramli -- are being tried separately.
Police are still searching for other suspects in the case.