One month later, Bali blasts remain a mystery
One month later, Bali blasts remain a mystery
Damar Harsanto
The Jakarta Post
Jakarta
Nearly a month after the Bali bombings that killed more than
190 people, injured another 200 and left 97 others missing and
presumed dead, police have struggled to make a significant
breakthrough in finding the perpetrators.
This is despite the fact that within hours of the Oct. 12
blasts, Australia and the United States said they suspected the
Al-Qaeda terrorist network to be behind the bombings. Despite the
help of foreign investigators, including from the U.S.,
Australia, Britain and Germany, the police have been slow to shed
light on the perpetrators or their motives.
Police have detained, released, re-detained and re-released a
number of suspects but so far have not found any links to al-
Qaeda. In the latest development, police arrested yet another
suspect, Amrozi, who allegedly owned the Mitsubishi L-300 van
used in the massive bombing outside the Sari Club.
Amrozi, police said, had also admitted his involvement in the
bombings although police have not determined his specific role in
the attack.
Police are now hunting for Amrozi's accomplices, identified as
his brothers and a close ally, M. Gufron (Amrozi's older
brother), Ali Imron (a younger brother), Ali Fauzi (a younger
brother), and Mubarok. The latter is a cleric at the Al Islam
Islamic boarding school and an alumnus of the Al Mukmin Ngruki
Islamic boarding school in Surakarta, Central Java.
However, there are many questions that have remained
unanswered, leading to speculation about the bombings, including
the masterminds, the explosives used, the motive, not to mention
the abundant irregularities and inconsistencies in the police
investigation results.
Head of the multi-national investigation team Insp. Gen. I
Made Mangku Pastika said on Friday that suspect Amrozi had
admitted to helping build the bomb because he hated Americans and
wanted to kill as many Americans as possible. However, on Oct.
13, a State Department official was quoted by AFP as saying that
the bomb that blew up near the U.S. consular office did not
appear to have targeted the facility.
Police claimed they had questioned more than 200 people so far
and obtained statements from over 80 witnesses, but it seems each
time they either issue conflicting statements or dismiss their
own conclusions. A lot of questions remain unanswered.
The following are a review of the key events, the ensuing
investigation and statements issued. With ten days of November
gone, will the investigation team finish the probe by the end of
this month, as hoped by President Megawati Soekarnoputri?
The blasts
Oct. 12
First bomb exploded outside Paddy's Cafe, followed by a
massive blast near the Sari Club. Another bomb also exploded near
the U.S. consulate general in Renon, Denpasar, but no fatalities
or injuries were reported. Just a few hours prior to these three
blasts, a bomb blew up near the Philippines consulate general in
Manado.
On the suspects
Oct. 13
Bali Police questioned 10 Pakistanis but said there had been
no indication of their involvement in the bombings.
Oct. 14
Police said they were hunting down an Indonesian citizen whose
ID card was found near the blast scene. He was later identified
as Muhammad Fawazi.
Oct. 15
Head of National Intelligence Agency (BIN) A.M. Hendropriyono
said terrorists with international networks were behind the
attacks. He based his argument on the advanced technology and
skills employed by the bombers, but referred to no specific
terrorist groups.
Police quizzed two persons. One was reportedly seen at the
blast scene, while the other was a relative of Muhammad Fawazi.
Oct. 17
Police questioned ex Indonesian Air Force officer named Deddy
Masruchin about his expertise in making bombs. They also
questioned two civilians and a security guard.
Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said there had no indications of al-
Qaeda's involvement in the bombings.
Oct.20
Police questioned two fishermen from Kepaon village, Denpasar,
and one female survivor, in addition to questioning over 100
witnesses.
Oct. 24
Maj. Gen Muhdi PR, former chief of the Army Special Force
(Kopassus), claimed that a military intelligence team had
identified the bombers. The joint team was still in the dark.
Oct. 30
Police released three composite sketches of possible suspects.
Police also probed former chairman of the Crescent Star Party in
Denpasar, Muhammad Jafar Sanad, in connection with a motorcycle
found in the blast scene. Police suspected the motorcycle was
linked to the bombings.
Oct. 31
Police announced the first suspect in the Bali bombings, who
was one of the three faces shown in composite sketches being
released. Police identified the suspect as a bomb expert.
Nov. 1
Police arrested a man named Eko S. alias RS, 33, in Bajawa,
Ngada, Flores in East Nusa Tenggara, due to his facial
resemblance to one of the three composite sketches. He was taken
to Denpasar but a day later police released him due to lack of
evidence.
Nov. 2
Police dropped the name of Muhammad Fawazi from the list of
suspects, saying he was more likely a victim than a suspect.
Nov. 5
Police questioned nine people whose facial features resembled
the composite sketches. They questioned four men out of the nine
intensively, one in the North Sumatra town of Binjai, one in
Jakarta, and two others in East Java.
Nov. 6
Police released Zulvan, the man detained in Binjai for using a
fake ID to obtain a passport. Police arrested Amrozi at his home
at Tenggulun, Paciran village, Lamongan, East Java. He is
allegedly the owner of the Mitsubishi L-300 van used in the car
bombing.
Nov. 7
Police were hunting down Amrozi's alleged accomplices,
identified as brothers and a close friend. They are M. Gufron
(Amrozi's older brother), Ali Imron (younger brother), Ali Fauzi
(younger brother), and Mubarok, a cleric at the Al Islam Islamic
boarding school and an alumnus Al Mukmin Ngruki Islamic boarding
school, Surakarta, which cleric Abu Bakar Ba'asyir directs.
Nov. 8
Amrozi acknowledged his acquaintance with Abu Bakar Ba'asyir
and Riduan Isamuddin, but has not linked the two with the Bali
bombings. Amrozi learned jihad principles from Ba'asyir, police
said.
Police were hunting five other suspects, saying they knew
their names.
Nov. 9
Police questioned Muhammad Zakaria, leader of the Al Islam
Islamic boarding school and Silvester Tendean, owner of the Tidar
Kimia chemical shop in Surabaya, East Java.
On the motive
Oct. 12
Hours after the bombings, the U.S. and Australian authorities
pointed to the al-Qaeda terrorist group as being responsible for
the attacks.
The Indonesian authorities agreed that the attack was
perpetrated by terrorist groups, but were tightlipped about which
groups were involved.
Nov. 8
Police said Amrozi expressed discontent over the results of
the bombings, saying that the main targets were Americans rather
than Australians. Only three Americans were killed in the
carnage, while Australians accounted for 70 percent of the
fatalities.
On the explosives
Oct. 14
Police said the explosives contained C4 based on the materials
found at the scene. The explosive ingredients were similar to
those used in the bomb attack on the Philippine Embassy on Jl.
Imam Bonjol in Central Jakarta two years ago which killed two and
injured several others.
Oct. 15
Chief of the National Intelligence Agency A.M. Hendropriyono
confirmed that one of the bombs was C4.
Oct. 20
The joint investigation team revealed that there were three
bombs, one inside Paddy's Cafe and two others outside near the
Sari Club.
Oct. 22
The police corrected an earlier statement on the number of
bombs, saying there were only two instead of three. The bomb in
Renon was TNT and weighed 500 grams.
Police also played down speculation among the public that the
explosives were micronuclear, asserting that the bombs were TNT
and RDX. They also said that the bombs were made in Bali.
The bomb used in Paddy's Cafe was TNT (trinitrotoluene),
weighing less than one kilogram, while the bombs in the Sari Club
were a mix of aluminum nitrate, a derivative of RDX
(Cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine), weighing between 50 and 150
kilograms. Traces of RDX were clear from the residues of ammonium
nitrate and carbon, part of the mixture in C4.
Oct. 24
Police revealed that a cell phone set to vibration mode was
used to trigger the small bomb in Renon, just after the deadly
blast in Kuta.
Nov. 1
Police concluded that the explosives used in the Bali bombings
were TNT, RDX, and other materials including Chloride (CLO3).
Nov. 8
Police asserted that the bombs were possibly built in Bali as
the bombers used timers, dismissing speculation that the bombs
were transported to the sites from far-away locations.
Nov. 9
Police said they had evidence, including receipts for the
purchase of chemicals bought by Amrozi. The chemicals were
ammonium nitrate, potassium chlorate, aluminum powder and sulfur.
The total weight of the chemicals amounted to around one ton.
On the Investigation
Oct. 13
Bali Police chief Brig. Gen. Budi Setyawan said he was
prepared to resign if he failed to uncover the case in a month.
Officers from some of the world's top police forces assembled
in Bali to hunt the bombers.
Indonesia Tuesday faced mounting pressure from Australia and
the United States to hunt down those behind the Bali bomb
outrage, as the investigation focused on the al-Qaeda network and
local Islamic extremist allies.
U.S. President George W. Bush demanded "firm" action to catch
the "cold blooded killers"
Oct. 16
Insp. Gen. I Made Mangku Pastika was appointed to head multi-
national investigation team.
Oct. 17
Australia offered an A$2 million (US$1.08 million) reward for
information leading to the bombers who killed scores of its
citizens.
Swiss authorities said Thursday that they had launched a
criminal inquiry into the Bali nightclub bombing.
Oct. 18
Indonesia forged an agreement with six nations to investigate
the Bali terrorist bomb attack.
Insp. Gen. I Made Mangku Pastika said he signed a pact Friday
with representatives of police forces from Australia, Britain,
the United States, Germany, New Zealand and Japan to jointly
investigate the case but with Jakarta playing a lead role in the
probe.
After almost a week of gruesome work, forensic experts have been
able to positively identify only 42 of the remains from the Bali
bombing last weekend that killed more than 180 people, hospital
sources said.
Oct. 19
Australian police said they would take statements from 600
witnesses as part of the massive multinational investigation.
The police have so far identified 450 Australian witnesses
whose statements would be recorded in their home country, said
Australia's chief investigator, Graham Ashton.
Oct. 20
Australia's top intelligence body is setting up a permanent
office in Jakarta as part of moves to step up regional counter-
terrorism efforts following the Bali bombing, officials said
Monday.
Attorney-General Daryl Williams told parliament the Australian
Security Intelligence Organization (ASIO) liaison office would be
opened with immediate effect.