Detainees admit to pledging to be suicide bombers
Detainees admit to pledging to be suicide bombers
Abdul Khalik/Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta
Some of the 10 people now under police custody have confessed
they were recruited by Malaysian fugitives Azahari bin Husin and
Noordin Moh. Top to perpetrate suicide bombings, National Police
chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar said.
Da'i would not disclose any figure, but said the police would,
in the near future, name them suspects for their alleged
involvement in the bomb attack outside the Australian Embassy
here on Sept. 9, in which at least 10 people died, including the
perpetrator.
"Each admitted they had sent their last letter to their
family, saying they were ready to die," said Da'i without
elaborating further.
Months before the Kuningan bombing, police reported the arrest
of some new recruits of Azahari and Noordin, who spoke of a
pledge they had made to both Malaysians that they were ready to
carry out suicide bombings.
A credible source at the police headquarters said Da'i was not
referring to the self-proclaimed suicide bombers who were
arrested before the Sept. 9 blast.
"Azahari and Noordin have always recruited people in almost
every place they stayed. That's why we have arrested so many
people as we follow their trail," said the source.
Police arrested over 25 people following the embassy attack,
but have released 15 of them. Now they are focusing on ten
people, who it is anticipated will lead them to the Malaysian
bomb makers.
Police have identified a man who reportedly helped Azahari and
Noordin carry the explosives from West Java to Jakarta as AAH. He
was arrested after the blast.
Three other suspects UB, IS, and TN were arrested before the
blast for harboring Azahari and Noordin, while Heri, the man
believed to be the last owner of the van used in the bombing,
remains at large.
Da'i said the police were focusing their search for the
perpetrators of the bombing on one or two locations.
A police source said investigators were combing coastal areas
of East Java. He said the police investigators took the 14
detained people with them as they traveled from one area to
another, in case they were needed to identify the alleged
perpetrators.
Da'i said police investigators were awaiting the results of
tests on DNA samples taken from the families of suspected bombers
in West Java.
He warned the public of possible bomb attacks following the
announcement of the presidential election result on Oct. 5.
"Today, the situation is under control, but it is still prone
to security disturbances," Da'i said. "Terrorist attacks are one
of the security risks that the announcement of the next president
could entail."