Grenade blast kills bomb squad member

Yuli Tri Suwarni, The Jakarta Post, Bandung

A member of the West Java Police's Mobile Brigade bomb squad was killed and three other officers were injured on Wednesday when the grenade they were deactivating exploded at their base in Cikeruh, Sumedang, about 20 kilometers west of here.

The blast killed Brig. Mugiyanto, the bomb squad leader. Three other officers -- Ngatimin, Felix and Erik Heriyadi -- were taken to Sartika Asih Hospital in Bandung for treatment.

West Java Police deputy chief Brig. Gen. Deddy S. Komarudin said later in the day the incident was purely an accident, and no other parties were involved in deactivating the grenade.

He said the explosive was among three pineapple grenades and a mortar found by local residents over the past month, with the most recent discovery taking place on July 8.

"Two grenades had been successfully deactivated when the third exploded," Deddy said.

He speculated that human error may have been the cause of the accident.

In a breach of procedure, the grenades were being deactivated on the police shooting range rather than in a special room.

Deddy said the police were investigating the incident, but would not look into where the grenades came from.

"Maybe they belonged to the military, but we don't know for sure. The grenades, which were made in the United States, were powerful. Judging from their type, they did not belong to the police," he said.

The body of Mugiyanto was flown to his hometown of Yogyakarta for burial.