Police baffled by bombers' tactics
Police baffled by bombers' tactics
JAKARTA (JP): Jakarta Police admit that the simple methods
used by the Christmas eve bombers have baffled investigators in
their quest to uncover more evidence.
Jakarta Police Chief Insp. Gen. Mulyono Sulaiman said on
Sunday that "the method is simplistic and effective enough to
make things very difficult for police to identify those who
carried and placed the bomb."
It was the effectiveness of the technique that allowed the
bombers to evade a policemen deployed to guard several churches.
Speaking to journalists at Jakarta Police Headquarters,
Mulyono pointed out that the criminals could carry the bomb in
"just any bag, drop it at the desired location and run off."
Seventeen people were killed in the Christmas eve bombings in
six provinces. Almost all the bombs were placed in the vicinity
of a church.
In Jakarta, bombs exploded outside the Katedral and Kanisius
Church in Central Jakarta, Santo Yosef Church and Coinonia Church
in the Jatinegara district in East Jakarta, Oikumene Church on
Jl. Komodor Halim Perdanakusuma in East Jakarta and the GKPI
Church in Kayu Ringin, Bekasi Selatan.
The explosions all occurred within the space of one hour on
Christmas Eve as churches held worship services.
At least three people were killed in the Jakarta bomb attacks.
Jakarta Police managed to defuse another bomb found outside
the Anglican church near Canisius Church on Christmas Eve.
Citing the bombs near Coinonia Church in East Jakarta and the
Katedral in Central Jakarta, Mulyono said the bombers simply
placed the bags and ran off.
"There was one bomb in the backyard of the Katedral set for
9:01 p.m. which did not explode. Another exploded at 9:10 p.m.
just outside the church. We suspect that the carrier of the bomb
that exploded just slipped off into the heavy traffic unnoticed,"
he said.
Mulyono said that police were intensifying questioning of 63
of the 135 witnesses.
"Of the 63, some are liable to become suspects," he remarked.
According to Mulyono, police had taken precautionary measures
by deploying "security forces in and around 17 of about 900
churches in Jakarta on Christmas Eve."
Of the 17 churches, only the Katedral was bombed," Mulyono
said without elaborating on the blasts near the other churches.
City Police Detectives Chief Sr. Supt. Harry Montolalu said on
Sunday that the methods used by the bombers here were different
from those in Bandung, West Java, in which cellular telephones
were used to communicate.
"In Jakarta it was simple. The carriers met at a point in the
capital where they were given directions as to which locations
were to be bombed. No cell phones were used here," Harry said.
As reported earlier, a senior military intelligence officer,
speaking on condition of anonymity, was pessimistic that police
would be able to unravel the bombings.
"The actors were using a cell-system so that none of the
users, the makers, and the executors of the bomb attacks knew
each other," the officer said on Friday.
Meanwhile in Bandung, West Java Police Chief Insp. Gen. Yun
Mulyana said on Sunday that police saw a definite link in motive
in connection with the explosion on Jl. Terusan Jakarta in
Bandung and in the one in Pangandaran, Ciamis.
"We are intensifying questioning of Dedi Mulyadi, 31, a
resident of Tasikmalaya and the primary suspect in the
Pangandaran bombing. He is currently detained at the Ciamis
police precinct," Yun told reporters.
According to police sources, Dedi and an accomplice named Yoyo
were on their way to place bombs at six locations in Pangandaran
on Christmas Eve. They were riding a motorcycle when the
explosive devices exploded, killing Yoyo. (ylt/25)