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."