Decision to bomb churches made in November 2000, police say

Decision to bomb churches made in November 2000, police say

Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Abdul Jabar, one of the suspects in the 2000 Christmas Eve
bombings, told police investigators that the final decision to
launch a bomb attack to churches across the capital was made
during a meeting in November 2000 in East Jakarta.

"Jabar told police investigators that he had a meeting with
other bombers in a house on Jl. Anggrek No. 4 in Duren Sawit,
East Jakarta, in November 2000 to plan the bombings targeting
churches," City Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Prasetyo told The
Jakarta Post Thursday.

During the meeting, the group decided on the target churches
and named Usman as field coordinator, Prasetyo quoted Jabar as
saying.

Present at the meeting were: Imam Samudra, the alleged
mastermind behind the Bali bombings; Dulmatin, who allegedly made
the bombs; Abdul Jabar; Umar Arab; Abdullah, alias Darwin, alias
Asep; and Usman, alias Dedi Setiono, alias Abas.

Prasetyo said Jabar was responsible for the bombings targeting
Koinonia Church on Jl. Matraman Raya, East Jakarta, and the
Anglican church in Central Jakarta.

The attack on Koinonia church injured 10 people and damaged
two cars. However, the police's bomb squad managed to defuse a
bomb package planted at the Anglican church. The bomb was wrapped
up in a blue bag and contained 800 grams of trinitrotoluene
(TNT), 15 kilograms of gun powder, a detonator, a digital clock
and 40 ball bearings.

In addition to the two churches, the bombers managed to
detonate bombs at Santo Yoseph Church in Matraman, East Jakarta,
at Kanisius College Chapel in Menteng, Central Jakarta, at
Kathedral Church in Central Jakarta, and at a church in Halim
Perdanakusumah, East Jakarta.

The blast at Santo Yoseph killed four people, while in other
bomb attacks, dozens were injured.

The bombings in Jakarta were part of a wave of Christmas Eve
bombing attacks across the country, including in Batam, Bandung,
Mataram, Sukabumi, Mojokerto and Pekanbaru, killing a total of 15
people and leaving many others injured.

Earlier, Jabar admitted that he was also ordered by Samudra to
purchase 10 devices to be used as detonators in the attacks.

Jabar, 35, and other bombing suspects also used Jabar's home
on Jl. Cikini No. 58 in Central Jakarta as a reconnaissance and
meeting point.

Police alleged earlier that the Christmas Eve bomb attacks
were "the results of activities by the Jemaah Islamiyah network."

Jabar, who had been on the run for three years, surrendered to
police in West Nusa Tenggara last week.

Police said Jabar was charged with illegal possession of
explosives according to Emergency Law No. 12/1951, which carries
a maximum death sentence.