Police headquarters bombing suspect arrested

The Jakarta Post Jakarta

The police have arrested a former police officer, identified as Adj. Comr. Anang Sumpeno, for bombing Wisma Bhayangkari, a building located in the compound of the National Police Headquarters in South Jakarta, city police spokesman Sr. Comr. Prasetyo said on Saturday.

Prasetyo said Anang, a former member of the National Police bomb squad, was arrested in his rented room in Bukit Duri, South Jakarta, early on Saturday morning.

"So far, it appears that the suspect carried out the bombing alone, but we are still investigating," Prasetyo told The Jakarta Post.

He said Anang was believed to have carried out the crime due to bitterness. He was involved in a drug case in 2000 while studying at the Police Science Institute (PTIK). As a result he could not continue his studies and had no position at the police. The suspect then deserted from the police.

Anang constructed a low-explosive bomb and put it in a black bag. The bomb, placed near a flower pot in the front yard of Wisma Bhayangkari, exploded on Feb. 3, destroying the front part of the building.

The bomb squad arrived too late at the scene, failing to defuse the bomb, although a police officer had reported it long before the explosion. No fatalities were reported after the explosion had occurred.

The bombing was seen by some analysts as mocking the police amid their perceived recent achievement in arresting the suspects of the Bali bombing.

"It (the HQ bombing) had a political motive," National Police chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar soon stated after the incident.