Police name suspect in explosive materials possession case
Police name suspect in explosive materials possession case
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
A 43-year old man has been named a suspect for allegedly
possessing almost a half ton of ammonium nitrate, the same
explosive material used in the Bali bombings, police in the
Central Sulawesi capital of Palu said on Saturday.
The suspect, identified only by his initials as DJ, is the
owner of the house where the chemical substance was seized last
Tuesday, provincial police spokesman Adj. Sr. Comr. Agus Sugianto
told the Antara news agency.
He said DJ confessed to owning the 425 kilograms or 17 packs
of French-made ammonium nitrate, usually used as fertilizer by
farmers.
The intended use of the chemical was still being investigated,
Sugianto said.
The suspect told police he had bought the chemical at the Wani
seaport, Tawaeli subdistrict, Donggala regency, 30 kilometers
from Palu, for commercial reasons, he said.
However, the suspect could not identify the seller from whom
he purchased the chemicals, he said.
"DJ did not remember the name of the trader in question,"
Sugianto said, but added that the suspect said the seller came
from Kalimantan island.
He said the suspect was lured to the "illegal" trade because
it generated huge profits. "DJ bought ammonium nitrate for Rp 175
per pack and sold it for Rp 250 per pack. Besides, the product
sells well."
Sugianto said the suspect had sold at least five packs to a
local farmer but could not give the buyer's name.
Sugianto said the police could declare more suspects as the
investigation continued.
It was the second biggest catch by Central Sulawesi Police
after they found 20 packs or 250 kilograms of the same fertilizer
in a Kijang van in Palu on Christmas Day.
The police arrested at least five people including the car's
32-year-old driver, Sulaiman, in relation to the Dec. 25 find,
and were hunting for Risman, 41, the alleged owner of the
chemical.
The fertilizer was allegedly smuggled to Sojol subdistrict in
Donggala from Tawao in Malaysia through the western coastal area
of Central Sulawesi, about 300 kilometers from Palu. The area is
vulnerable to smuggling.
Ammonium nitrate can be mixed with fuel oil to make a powerful
explosive. It was allegedly used in the Oct. 12 Bali blasts that
killed more than 190 people and injured some 300 others, mostly
Western tourists.
However, police investigating the Bali bombings found traces
of extremely high explosives, such as RDX, at the blast site.
Their sources remain unexplained.
Timothy McVeigh used two tons of ammonium nitrate -- mixed in
barrels and loaded into a rental truck -- to bomb the federal
building in Oklahoma City in 1995, killing at least 168 people.
Jamaah Islamiyah, the al-Qaida linked regional terror group
blamed for the Bali blasts, is believed to have stockpiled about
four tons of the substance.
Several bombs have exploded over the last year in Palu. Almost
1,000 people have been killed in the Central Sulawesi town of
Poso in fighting between Muslims and Christians since mid-2000. A
peace deal signed between the rival factions in December 2001 has
significantly reduced the clashes, although sporadic violence
still erupts.
Ammonium nitrate is widely used by farmers, while fishermen
also use the substance to make bombs to stun fish. Its sale is
restricted, and it is a crime to possess it without a license.