Marriott suspects say more attacks planned

Marriott suspects say more attacks planned

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta/Bandung/Cirebon

Two JW Marriott Hotel bombing suspects, who were arrested on
Wednesday morning, told police that their cohorts were planning
more bomb attacks in the country, National Police Chief Gen. Da'i
Bachtiar said here on Thursday.

The suspects, Tohir alias Masrizal and Ismail alias Ricky
Putranto, said the bombing plans had been organized by Dr.
Azahari bin Husin, a former Malaysian professor of statistics at
the Malaysian Institute of Technology who is still on the run and
wanted in connection for his roles in the Marriott and the Bali
attacks.

Azahari and Noordin Mohd Top, another Malaysian, were
apparently hiding out in a house in Bandung as recently as Monday
or Tuesday according to the police, but when officers raided the
house on Wednesday night, they had already fled.

Tohir and Ismail were arrested on Wednesday morning in a
Cirebon hotel, West Java, with five explosive devices, possibly
blasting caps, in their luggage.

"From their confessions, the police learned that Azahari has
made plans for another bomb attack, but Azahari and Noordin
managed to escape when we tried to arrest them in the Bandung
area," Da'i said.

Meanwhile in Bandung, police found four homemade bombs at the
room rented by Azahari and Noordin. The high-explosive bombs were
later detonated at a nearby field.

Da'i warned the public of possible bombings as the two
fugitives were carrying assembled bombs with them and ready to
attack.

Azahari, Noordin and Ismail are among the most wanted terror
suspects in Southeast Asia. They are all suspected members of the
Jamaah Islamiyah (JI) terrorist network and allegedly played
major roles in last year's Bali bombing, which claimed more than
200 lives, and the Marriott bombing, which killed 12 people and
injured 147 others.

The police distributed fresh pictures of the two men as they
believed the fugitives were still holed up somewhere in West
Java.

In Cirebon, the police also disposed of the five blasting
caps, which were packed in small tubes, an eye glass holder and a
cigarette pack. The two suspects had them hidden in their waist
packs.

Bomb squad officers said that the bombs were made with a high
degree of expertise and were ready to be detonated at any time.

In the Marriott bombing Ismail, 28, apparently helped Azahari
to assemble the Marriott bombs.

Ismail was also wanted by police detectives as he had
purchased the blue metallic Kijang minivan along with Arief,
another suspect who is still at large.

The van was then used to carry more than 150 kilograms of
explosives and 20 liters of fuel to create a fireball effect in
the bombing.

Tohir has been accused of being the field commander in the
bombing, along with Asmar Latin Sani who detonated the car bomb
and died in the incident. The two came from the same village in
Malalo, Agam, West Sumatra.

West Java Police Chief Insp. Gen. Dadang Garnida said that
aside from Azahari and Noordin, the police are also on the look
out for two more suspects related to the bombing who were
believed to be in the province.

Coinciding with the arrest of the two suspects, the British
Embassy here issued a new travel advisory emphasizing that
Westerners were "facing general threats" across the country.

The embassy also said that there are indications of more
terrorist attacks in Indonesia, targeting Westerners, and people
should avoid non-essential travel to the country.