KL Police question Bali bomb suspects
I Wayan Juniartha and Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar/Jakarta
Malaysian Police chief Insp. Gen. Tan Sri Norian Mai met several key suspects in the Bali bombings to determine if links exist between them and Muslim militants arrested in Malaysia, as well as to offer help in further investigations of the bombings.
Accompanied by Bali Police chief Insp. Gen. Budi Setyawan, Mai interviewed Imam Samudra, the alleged mastermind of the Oct. 12 bombing, in his cell on Tuesday.
Mai later questioned three other suspects, Amrozi, Mukhlas and Abdul Rauf, separately in their cells at Bali Police Headquarters in Denpasar.
On Wednesday, another senior Malaysian Police officer, Dato Ibrahim, also paid a visit to Samudra and Mukhlas, alias Ali Gufron, the alleged operative chief of Jamaah Islamiyah (JI).
The visits from the Malaysian Police came after the National Police announced on Monday that they were searching for six more suspects, including two Malaysians: Azhari Hussin and Noordin Muhammad Top, the first foreign suspects named in the tragedy.
Mai declined to disclose what was discussed with the four Indonesian suspects, but expressed confidence that the National Police had in custody the real perpetrators of the Oct. 12 bombing.
He said the purpose of his visit to Bali was to gather firsthand information on the deadly bombing and to know the measures the police here have taken to stabilize security on the resort island.
Asked whether he was convinced that the bombers were linked to Jamaah Islamiyah (JI), Mai answered: "Is there any reason why I should not believe it".
He also pledged on Tuesday to help the National Police investigate the Bali bombing further.
"I had met with National Police chief (Gen. Da'i Bachtiar) on Monday night, during which I expressed our willingness to provide support and assistance to the Indonesian Police, since we have arrested several suspects in Malaysia," he said.
"We have agreed to help each other in unraveling the case," he added.
In Jakarta, Da'i confirmed on Tuesday that he had agreed with Mai to exchange information and testimonies from Indonesian and Malaysian suspects in the bombing and other terrorist attacks.
Da'i also said the National Police wanted the two Malaysian suspects, Azhari and Noordin, arrested immediately in order to quickly reveal more information behind the Bali tragedy.
Azhari, who is believed to have supplied the bomb-making expertise, and Noordin, who is suspected of raising the funds to finance the blast, have been placed on Malaysia's wanted list.
The two suspects are believed to have fled Malaysia for neighboring countries and the Malaysian authorities have sought Interpol's assistance in tracking them down.
Another Malaysian suspect, Wan Min, is being held by Malaysian Police for allegedly transferring some US$30,000 to finance the blasts.
Wan Min is suspected of being the treasurer of Jamaah Islamiyah in its operations in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.
While all 15 suspects in custody are Indonesians, Malaysian connections have been established to the devastating bomb attack in Bali.
Jamaah Islamiyah is widely believed to be responsible for the Kuta bombing, which has been the worst act of terrorism since the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States.
The National Police are also holding Abu Bakar Ba'asyir, the alleged spiritual leader of Jamaah Islamiyah, who lived in Malaysia in the 1990s. He is accused of masterminding a string of church bombings in 2000, but has not been named a suspect in the Bali bombing.
Singapore has also arrested dozens of suspects that it says are members of Jamaah Islamiyah.