Police expand bomb probe outside Bali, no suspects named
Police expand bomb probe outside Bali, no suspects named
The Jakarta Post, Denpasar, Bandung
The National Police are expanding the investigation into
Saturday's Bali bombings beyond the resort island, but said on
Wednesday there still had not been any suspects named in the
attack.
Police spokesman Brig. Gen. Soenarko Danu Ardanto said that as
of Wednesday investigators had questioned 75 people as witnesses
in connection with the powerful explosions in two cafes in
Jimbaran and a restaurant in Kuta, which left at least 22 people
dead and over 100 others injured.
"Police investigators have questioned 25 people who were in or
around Kafe Nyoman, 22 in Kafe Menega and 20 in Raja's bar and
restaurant. The team also has questioned eight other people,"
Soenarko said.
He would not identify the eight people or say where they were
questioned.
"The team carrying out the investigation in the field is very
active in responding to findings from the blast sites. The
investigation is being conducted in Bali and other areas across
the country," Soenarko said.
He was commenting on reports on the police hunt for the people
who planned the bombings and assembled the bombs used in the
attack.
Police arrested two people in the Bali regencies of Jembrana
and Gilimanuk hours after the bombings, but later released them
because there was no evidence linking them to the attack. Arrests
have also been reported in East Java and West Java, but Soenarko
refused to confirm these reports.
"What I can confirm is that we are using the accounts of
people we have questioned as evidence," Soenarko said.
Earlier on Wednesday, West Java Police chief Insp. Gen. Edi
Darnadi said in Bandung that a man was arrested in Cicuruk,
Sukabumi regency, and was being questioned about the Bali
bombings.
The suspect holds two passports -- one from Indonesia and the
other issued by Singapore, he said.
The arrest of the man, following a tip from local residents,
was confirmed by the head of the West Java Siliwangi Military
Command, Maj. Gen. Sriyanto Mustaran.
A police detective in Bandung identified the suspect as Isnan
Husein, who has been taken to Bogor for further questioning.
Police from a number of foreign countries are helping their
Indonesian counterparts collect and analyze data and evidence
from the blast sites in Bali.
The police have released photos of the faces of three men
suspected of carrying out the suicide bombings, but still have
been unable to identify the men.
Bali Police chief Insp. Gen. Made Mangku Pastika oversaw on
Wednesday the investigation at the blast site in Kuta.
"I have visited the crime sites several times, not just once,
but three or four times. I visit the crime sites to make sure all
my men are working properly," said Pastika, who led the
investigation into the 2002 bombings in Bali that killed 202
people.
He said the police would soon complete their work at the blast
sites and reopen the places to the public.
The failure to identify the three suspected suicide bombers,
however, continues to hinder the police investigation.
"We are still in the dark about the (identities) of the
suspected suicide bombers. We are waiting for a response from
people in Bali and other parts of the country who may recognize
the three men," Pastika said.
He said the fact that the perpetrators of the weekend attack
used only TNT to make the bombs was also slowing the
investigation.
"Because they (the perpetrators) used simpler bombs, it may
take us longer to trace them. But past bombings have taught us
good lessons that will help us find the masterminds and the
motives behind Saturday's blasts," he said.
Provincial police forces across the country have intensified
checks of motorists and increased their vigilance following the
bombings in Bali.