Gus Dur upset over bomb Yogya mosque
JAKARTA (JP): President Abdurrahman Wahid has ordered the National Police chief to capture the mastermind behind the planting of a bomb at Yogyakarta's grand mosque in the vicinity of the sultan's palace.
Speaking after a Cabinet plenary meeting on Thursday, the President, on his own initiative, briefed journalists on the Yogyakarta bomb as reported to him by National Police chief Lt. Gen. Roesdihardjo.
"Catch the mastermind with or without proper evidence. Bring him or her to justice and let the court decide," the President, popularly known as Gus Dur, said.
"I am a patient man. But such a thing cannot be condoned. It (the planting of the explosive) was aimed to test me in relation to my 100-days in office," he said, hinting that the bomb plot was instigated by people dissatisfied with his administration's performance.
Quoting a statement by Singapore's Premier Goh Chok Tong, Abdurrahman said that his administration had began from minus level, not zero level, referring to the challenges his administration was facing.
Yogyakarta Police identified the explosive that was found inside the grand mosque on Wednesday evening as "TNT-type".
Police found the homemade bomb behind a bookcase in the mosque after night watchmen saw a fire, which damaged the carpets, at the mosque at about 11:00 p.m. on Wednesday.
Yogyakarta Police chief Brig. Gen. Dadang Soetrisno told reporters later on Thursday the explosive weighed around 200 grams, but had an explosive power that could "destroy a small building".
He said the explosive was commonly used in military and police training. "It must be designed by a professional," he added.
The bomb was discovered with its detonator, a 9-volt battery, and cables inside a small box.
"We see this planting of a bomb as an effort to provoke Muslims," he said.
The provincial police spokesman First Lt. Yulianto BW said that the police also found a plastic bottle full of gasoline only a few meters away from the burnt carpets.
He said police believed the bomb plot was linked to a planned Muslim gathering at a nearby square on Sunday. The square, locally called Alun-Alun Utara, as well as the mosque, belong to the sultan of Yogyakarta.
Those attending the gathering were to express solidarity for Muslims in riot-torn Maluku.
While condemning the bombing attempt, Yogyakarta Governor Hamengkubuwono X, who is also the sultan, called on the province's residents to exercise restraint. He said Sunday's gathering could go ahead.
A bomb exploded in the basement of Istiqlal Grand Mosque in Jakarta in April last year. No one was injured, although windows and doors of several offices on the floor were damaged.
Police arrested seven people in different places from May 7 for their alleged role in the bombing. The suspects reportedly stayed at a rented house in Ciledug, South Jakarta.
One of the suspects, Surya Setiawan, was convicted at the Central Jakarta District Court in October to three years and two months in prison for planting the bomb. (44/prb/sur)