Police link recent spate of bombings to Acehnese rebels
JAKARTA (JP): Jakarta Police claim to have found evidence linking the recent spate of bombings in the capital with the Acehnese separatist movement.
City police detective chief for general crimes Comr. Tito Karnavian said on Monday police believe that the recent bombings here, particularly the bombings of the Santa Anna Church and the Association of Batak Protestant (HKBP) Church in East Jakarta, were linked to the Aceh separatist movement.
"This was not about terror. These terrorists, they do not care about Indonesians whom they consider 'non-Acehnese'," Tito said on Monday, stopping short of declaring the suspected movement as the Free Aceh Movement (GAM).
"Their aim was to kill, not only to terrorize," he said.
Tito added that the city police would soon be searching certain Acehnese dormitories here in connection with the case.
"They come to Jakarta with their explosives. They stay here in dormitories, act as if they are students, or just ordinary people. They are not," Tito said.
He also said that the recent jailbreak by bombing suspects was connected with the recent spate of bombings in the capital.
He noted that one of two suspects of the Jakarta Stock Exchange (JSX) bombing, Nuryadin, who managed to escape from Cipinang Penitentiary on Friday, was Acehnese.
Another JSX bombing suspect who tried to escape with Nuryadin, Irwansyah, was apprehended minutes after his escape.
They broke out of the jail by holding up a warden with a gun they had smuggled into the penitentiary. They had also managed to smuggle two hand grenades into the prison.
After his arrest, Irwansyah, a former member of the Army's Special Force (Kopassus), reportedly told police detectives that the hand grenades and gun were smuggled into the Cipinang Penitentiary after paying a warden Rp 20,000 (US$2).
"It's easy. The weapons and firearms are hidden in food baskets. Pay the warden Rp 20,000 and he will not look in it," a police detective said on Monday, quoting Irwansyah.
Following the escape of Nuryadin, East Jakarta Police and Tangerang Police confiscated hundreds of sharp and blunt weapons after a major search at the Cipinang Penitentiary in East Jakarta.
Police confiscated knives, long swords, sickles, machetes and other kinds of dangerous weapons from prisoners' cells.
Police declared on Monday at least three wardens of Cipinang Penitentiary as suspects in connection with last Friday's escape.
City police spokesman Sr. Comr. Anton Bachrul Alam identified the suspects as Paidjo, Tumingan and Endi Suhendi.
"Six wardens are being investigated, three of whom have been named suspects," Anton said.
The other wardens being investigated were identified as M. Silalahi, Norman and Charles Simbolon.
However, these details was disputed by city police detectives, who claimed that Endi was not a suspect.
"Three have been named suspects. I can't name them since I do not remember which ones they are. What I can tell you is that we are only questioning five Cipinang wardens, namely M. Silalahi, Paidjo, Tumingan, Simbolon and Norman," Tito said.
"None of the suspects have been detained. We are confident that they will not run off somewhere and will be available for further police questioning. They are being questioned regarding any negligence during the course of conducting their duties, which resulted in the jailbreak."
The JSX bombing last September resulted in the death of at least 10 people.
The wardens are being questioned according to Paragraph 2 of Article 426 of the Criminal Code, with respect to negligence during one's job which results in the escape of a criminal.
The Article carries a maximum punishment of two months imprisonment. (ylt)