Police detect financial source in bombing spree

Police detect financial source in bombing spree

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The National Police chief claimed he had identified those
responsible for the recent spate of bombings in the country.

National Police Chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar said here on Tuesday
that the names were extracted from other bomb suspects currently
undergoing police interrogation.

"It is not a group, but individuals that financed the
suspects' activities," Da'i said without elaborating.

He said the names would be disclosed soon after the police
completed their investigation.

"We have to check further into the motives of those involved
and how they transferred the funds to the agents. All results of
the investigation will be announced to the public later on," the
general said.

There is much speculation that the mastermind may be a former
minister in president B.J. Habibie's Cabinet.

Indonesia has seen dozens of bomb attacks in a number of
public places, including churches, mosques and shopping centers
in the last few years.

The most recent one in Jakarta occurred two weeks ago when the
Graha Cijantung mall in East Jakarta was rocked by a strong
explosion. The police are still investigating three Acehnese
suspects while another is still at large.

Many suspect that the bombing spate may involve remnants of
the old regime, which was brought down in 1998.

However, some government and military officials claimed that
most of the bombings in the capital were related to the
separatist movement in Aceh.

Without directly accusing Acehnese separatists, Da'i would
only say that the suspects were from the province.

Separately, National Police Spokesman Insp. Gen. Saleh Saaf
said that they had frozen the four suspects' bank accounts.

He also refused to identify those who had transferred funds to
the suspects.

"We seized Rp 50 million (US$5617,4) in cash from the suspects
but the amount in their bank accounts is higher than that," he
told The Jakarta Post.

He also warned the public about the possibility of bombings
before and during the Annual Session of the People's Consultative
Assembly scheduled from Aug. 1 to Aug. 12.