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.