New Year attacker held

Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Questions revolving around the grenade blast on Jl. Bulungan, South Jakarta, which claimed one life in the morning hours of Jan. 1, may soon be answered following Thursday's arrest of Tarmizi, who is suspected as one of the attackers.

Police took the wiry, dark skinned, and tired-looking man into custody at 10:30 p.m. at the residence of another Acehnese, Afrizal, on Jl. Buton Blok A6, No. 19, Nusa Loka, in the Bumi Serpong Damai housing complex in Tangerang, according to a police spokesman.

Tarmizi confessed to police that he and Hasballah, his co- conspirator who died in the failed grenade attack, tried to target hundreds of revelers celebrating the New Year at the Plaza Blok M shopping mall, said a police spokesman.

Quoting Tarmizi, Sr. Comr. Anton Bachrul Alam told reporters that the attackers' original intent was to detonate the grenade among a crowd of New Year's revelers somewhere in Kota, Central Jakarta, also known as Chinatown.

But unable to find public transportation to take them there, they decided instead to target to Plaza Blok M, which they considered "another den of evils."

Once there, they picked a street corner in front of the Ayam Bulungan restaurant, where a box van was already parked, as the best place at which to throw the grenade.

When Hasballah attempted to toss the grenade, however, he only managed to throw it as far as a nearby tree. Hasballah then picked up the grenade, but it exploded in his hand before he could throw it again.

Hours later, Hasballah died of his injuries, while Tarmizi, who stood only three meters away, fled the scene with burns on his back and buttocks.

Anton said Tarmizi would be charged with the Criminal Code No. 55 of Emergency Law No. 12/1951 for the illegal possession of ammunition, which carries a maximum penalty of death.

Tarmizi was accompanied by his attorneys, Hotman Arwan and HR Hasibuan.

Police did not detain Afrizal due to insufficient evidence.

According to Afrizal's testimony, Tarmizi claimed that his wounds were caused by falling from a train, Anton said.

Anton said police officials are continuing their investigation over the suspect's motives, the origin of the grenade, and the possible networks behind them.

"The Free Aceh Movement (GAM) did not claim responsibility over the failed attack; but ... we know that both Hasballah and Tarmizi are Acehnese," Anton said.

GAM and Mujahiddin Group have been linked by the police to a series of bombing attacks in the capital recently.