Four more bomb suspects arrested

Jupriadi, The Jakarta Post, Makassar, South Sulawesi

Police in the South Sulawesi capital of Makassar said on Thursday they had arrested four people as possible suspects in last week's bombings, including the father and a younger brother of Agung Hamid, the alleged mastermind of the Dec. 5 blasts.

South Sulawesi Police chief Insp. Gen. Firman Gani told journalists in Makassar that Agung's father Abdul Hamid and brother Iwal Hamid were arrested at their family home in Barru regency, South Sulawesi, where the police found TNT, a high explosive bomb-making material.

Firman did not reveal the amount of TNT found in Abdul Hamid's home, saying only that it was separate from the 2.5 kilograms of TNT found at a metal workshop belonging to Masnur, another key suspect.

"The father and a younger brother of Agung Hamid are undergoing intensive interrogation and have been declared possible suspects in relation to the possession of TNT," Firman said.

The two were believed to have had prior knowledge of plans by the Agung-led plotters to bomb both a McDonald's restaurant and a Toyota car dealership, he added.

At least three persons were killed in the blasts that left another 30 injured.

Agung's two wives, Ety Suherti and Panca Budi, were also grilled by police investigators, but it remained unclear whether they were detained or released.

Aside from Abdul Hamid and Iwal Hamid, police also detained as possible suspects Khairul and Utan. They are being held for questioning in Central Sulawesi Police Headquarters in Palu.

"The two persons were arrested on the basis of information from suspects and witnesses that was obtained by investigators in Makassar," Firman said.

Police have so far named 10 suspects -- Agung, Azhar Daeng Salam, Muchtar Daeng Lau, Usman, Masnur, Ilham, Suryadi, Lukman Hasan, Hisbullah Rasyid and Dahlan.

Six of the suspects have thus far been arrested and police are now searching for the remaining three -- Agung, Dahlan and Hisbullah. One suspect, Ansar, believed to be a field operative, was among the three persons killed in the bombings.

Firman said he has proposed that National Police chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar impose a travel ban on Agung, the alleged mastermind of the Makassar bombings -- who was trained in Afghanistan and the Philippines -- and the two other suspects still at large.

Agung and at least one other suspect, Muchtar, are suspected members of the radical Laskar Jundullah group, whose leader Agus Dwikarna was sentenced by the Philippines to 17 years in prison for illegal possession of explosives.

But, the police appeared to be trying not to link the Makassar blasts with Laskar Jundullah, saying the attacks were perpetrated solely by those involved in a national and regional network.

Also on Wednesday, investigators raided the house of Lukman on Jl. Amirullah in Makassar and found a number of timers, believed to be for detonating bombs.

Meanwhile, lawyers grouped in the Advocacy Team for the Victims of the Antiterrorism Regulation (TAKPAT), accused police of violating human rights and the Criminal Procedures Code in their moves to arrest suspects and witnesses.

"The police have made arrests and staged raids on suspects and witnesses without first providing sufficient evidence, and they base their actions on the antiterrorism regulation in lieu of a law," spokesman for the team Abraham Samad said on Thursday.

Article 26 of the newly-enacted regulation allows the police to make arrests based solely on intelligence reports.

"This article contradicts Article 17 of the Criminal Procedures Code, which stipulates that a person can be arrested only if there is prima facie evidence against him," Abraham said.

Responding to the accusations, Firman said, "that's not a problem as we work for and are responsible to the public, the state and God. I assure you, we are not engaged in any sort of manipulation in this case".