Police arrest five more Medan blast suspects

Tiarma Siboro and Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta/Medan

The police have arrested five more people suspected of involvement in the recent bomb blasts in Medan, capital of North Sumatra province, blaming the two incidents on the Free Aceh Movement (GAM).

The five were GAM field commander for the Medan/Deli region Abdul Wahab, alias Abu Geudeung, alias Abu; Rakum Sudjono; Tengku Abid Djohan, alias Ampun; Ridwan Yusuf and Said Tengku Azhar.

Said was believed to have led the small group in purchasing explosive materials, assembling the explosives and placing them at two different sites in the city.

Chief of detectives at the National Police Headquarters Comr. Gen. Erwin Mappaseng said in Jakarta on Thursday that Abdul, 52, was arrested at his home in Peurelak, East Aceh, on Wednesday morning.

"Abdul Wahab planned the bombing and it was part of the group's move to cause disruption, both in Aceh and North Sumatra," he said, citing that the police in Medan had previously arrested two bombing suspects.

Erwin said that the police were still seeking six more suspects.

The first bombing occurred on March 31 at the Medan mayor's office, damaging three cars parked at the office, while the second took place at a pipeline installation near Deli seaport.

The police in Medan seized from Wahab two computers, four hand grenades, two guns, four magazines, 18 bullets and a bag with GAM documents, while from the remaining four suspects captured in the city, the police confiscated a mobile phone, identity cards, driver's licenses and cash worth Rp 549,000.

North Sumatra Police chief Insp. Gen. Dewa Astika said that the five had been arrested after the police had interrogated an office boy who worked at the Medan mayor's office because his fingerprints were found on a bicycle believed to have been used to transport the explosives to the office.

"We shall continue with our investigations into the case in an attempt to find out more about GAM networks and activities in the province," he said.

Upon his arrival at Medan police station on Wednesday, Wahab confessed his group had bombed the two sites in an attempt to create disturbance in the province.

"We spent Rp 1 million on making four bombs and still have two more in my house," he said, adding they had planned to use the two remaining bombs in public places in the city.

Wahab also admitted that his group had raised the funds from a number of shipping businessmen in Aceh and Langkat regency, North Sumatra.