Fingerprint found on bomb fragment

Fingerprint found on bomb fragment

Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Police found on Friday a number of intact fingerprints on
fragments of the bomb that exploded the national legislative
complex in Jakarta on Monday.

"From the analysis at the blast site, we've made significant
progress in unraveling the mystery behind the bombing. We have
obtained several complete fingerprints," National Police chief
Gen. Da'i Bachtiar told reporters after Friday prayers.

The police would now match these fingerprints with those
contained in the police databank. If no match was found,
investigators would try to match them with those of persons
suspected of possibly being involved in the blast.

Da'i's statement was in marked contrast, however, to an
earlier statement made by Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr.
Prasetyo.

Prasetyo said that the police were facing difficulties in
finding any fingerprints as only tiny fragments of the device
were left.

The bomb went off at the western end of the Nusantara IV
building in the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR)/House of
Representatives (DPR) compound in Senayan, Central Jakarta. No
fatalities resulted but the explosion broke several windows
nearby.

Separately, police also found a black bag on Friday that it
was feared contained a bomb at the DPR Housing Complex in
Kalibata, South Jakarta.

South Jakarta Police detectives' chief Comr. Merdisyam said
the bag was secured by the police bomb squad.

Later on Friday, Prasetyo said that the bag contained only
books and some keys.

In addition to the fingerprints, Da'i said police had
identified one of the substances contained in the bomb, which had
been impregnated with 15 centimeter nails.

"This material is rarely found in the civilian arena ... We
are currently checking not only with the military, but also with
drilling and airline companies about the use of the substance,"
he said.

Da'i, however, failed to say what the substance was.

Police were still reluctant to point the finger at any
particular group as being responsible for the bombing.

"Just wait and see ... just like with the Bali bombings. We
got to one of the groups involved and then we managed to shed
light to the network," said Da'i.

Nevertheless, the police said earlier that they were still
hunting for the live bombs that were reportedly transported by
one of the nine alleged members of the Jamaah Islamiyah (JI)
terrorist network from Semarang to Jakarta.

Police are so far in the dark as to the whereabouts of the
explosives as the man who was believed to have transported them,
identified as Ikhwanuddin alias Asim, allegedly committed suicide
during police interrogation.

The suicide, however, remains a mystery as the police are
persisting in their refusal to identify where Ikhwanuddin was
interrogated.

Police believe that JI was behind the Bali bombings, which
claimed 202 lives.

In a related development, Da'i also said that the police were
further tightening security in the country following the escape
of Fathur Rohman Al-Ghozi, a suspected JI leader who is also
known to be a bomb expert, from the Camp Crame prison in the
Philippines.

"We have discussed the matter with the Malaysian police so
that the necessary measures can be taken following Al-Ghozi's
escape," he said.

Commenting on the report by Singapore-based Channel News Asia
that Al-Ghozi is in Jakarta and is being harbored by a man
identified as Solaiman from the Ali Rahman Islamic group, Da'i
said that the police had yet to confirm if the information was
true.

"We are not sure about this, but we will strive to track him
down and maintain security in the capital," he said.