More suspects held over Tentena bombings

More suspects held over Tentena bombings

Ruslan Sangadji, The Jakarta Post, Palu

Police have arrested six more people they believe are involved in
the Saturday bombings in Tentena, Central Sulawesi, with
suspicions now surfacing that some of the alleged perpetrators
were linked to a riot in a neighboring province last year.

Central Sulawesi Police deputy chief Sr. Comr. Sukirno
confirmed that the six more people were arrested on Wednesday
after seven others were detained the day earlier. He said all 13
people would be named suspects for involvement in acts of terror.

The first seven detainees are former government officials
Abdul Kadir Sidik and Ismet, former activists Andi Makkasau and
Ahmad Laparigi, former head of the Poso social affairs office
Anwar Ali, Poso prison warden Hasman, and a woman, Tamri Firna,
whose occupation is unknown.

Speculation has been rife that the bombings are related to a
corruption scandal involving the first five men in a bid to
divert the attention from the case.

Sukirno said some of the arrests took place in Pandajaya
village, in South Pamona district, the same place where police
earlier arrested one of the masterminds of a riot in Mamasa in
neighboring West Sulawesi.

The six could have also been involved in instigating the riot
that broke out when villagers opposed the establishment of the
new West Sulawesi province, Sukirno said.

He refused to identify the six but said the police were still
searching for two more people identified by their initials as
"AT" and "E", who they believed had set off the bombs on
Saturday, which killed 21 people and injured some 70 others.

Police have so far questioned 44 people regarding the
incident.

Security personnel remained on high alert on Wednesday,
conducting road checks at border areas between Palu and Poso,
frisking drivers, checking vehicles and demanding to see identity
cards.

In an attempt to quell escalating sectarian tensions in the
religiously divided area, a Muslim and Christian leader,
meanwhile, held a meeting inside a church in Tentena. Islamic
cleric Adnan Arsal and Protestant Reverend Renaldy Damanik
appealed to the people to resist provocation and urged the police
to investigate the case thoroughly.

"What we need in this kind of situation is the leadership of
role models. We need to show how we can maintain a good and close
relationship between the followers of different religions,"
Renaldy said.

In another part of the city, National Police chief Gen. Da'i
Bachtiar and deputy detectives chief Insp. Gen. John Lalo met
with Poso Police top brass to evaluate the progress of
investigation into the case.

Separately, Palu Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Guntur Widodo
said his officers arrested on Wednesday six people from Ternate
in North Maluku during a raid on a ship which docked at Pantoloan
seaport.

The six were arrested after failing to produce valid identity
cards. They would also not clearly state their planned
destinations, Guntur said.

Security in Palu has been tense, with police conducting raids
on residential areas and hotels after bomb threats were made on
the Bala Keselamatan and Advent churches on Tuesday.