'GAM or Azahari responsible for bombs'

Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan, North Sumatra

Medan Police chief Sr. Comr. Bagus Kurniawan said on Wednesday that the police were focusing their investigations into the discovery of five live bombs in a Medan mall on two distinct groups.

The two groups in question were the terrorist group allegedly led by Dr. Azahari and the rebel Free Aceh Movement (GAM).

"It's probable that one of these groups is responsible for the bombs," he said.

The five, live, high-explosive devices were discovered on Tuesday by a supermarket employee at the Macam Yaohan supermarket in the mall. They had failed to explode as their batteries were flat.

Bombs are regularly discovered in Medan, the capital of North Sumatra. Packs of explosive were found at the Sukaramai market in January. Seven GAM members were arrested and another one was shot dead in connection with the explosives. In January 2000, several homemade bombs were found in three churches in the city. Abu Yasar, an alleged member of the Jamaah Islamiyah terrorist group, is still awaiting trial in the Medan District Court in connection with the planned church bombings.

Dr. Azahari, who is accused of being involved in a church bombing and the Marriott hotel bombing last year in Jakarta, is still at large.

Bagus said that police investigators were now preparing sketches of those whom they believed were connected with the bombs in the Medan mall.

"We have questioned 10 witnesses, and are making our sketches based on their descriptions," he said.