New lead on Istiqlal bomb

JAKARTA (JP): Police detectives have a new lead on the mastermind behind the bomb blast at the Istiqlal Grand Mosque, leading them to Serang, West Java, an officer said on Tuesday.

The reliable police source, who asked for anonymity, told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday night that the new clues had led to the withdrawal of several teams of detectives conducting investigations in Bogor and Pandeglang.

"We're now directing the focus of our investigation to Serang," the source said. He said he had no idea about the identity of the city's most wanted criminal.

Rumors on Tuesday said police had identified a captain from an elite unit of the Army as the main suspect responsible for the April 19 blast on the ground floor of the Istiqlal mosque.

Contacted separately, chief of Jakarta Police detectives Col. Alex Bambang Riatmodjo admitted that his men "have not yet obtained enough evidence to name anybody as the main suspect in the blasting".

He refused to say whether his men were looking for the Army captain over his alleged role in the bombing.

"No, we have not come that far. We'll let media know as soon as we find the main suspect," he said.

No fatalities were reported in the blast, but windows and walls of 21 offices in the biggest mosque in the region were shattered and damaged.

Police have so far questioned 22 people as witnesses, but have made no arrests in relation to the case. (emf)