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.