Police name two more suspects in Marriott blast
Police name two more suspects in Marriott blast
Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Police announced the names on Friday of two more suspects in the
deadly JW Marriott Hotel bombing as the result of a reenactment
by two detained suspects, Ismail and Tohir, on Wednesday.
National Police deputy chief of public relations Brig.
Soenarko said that Abu Dujana and Qotadah had been declared
suspects for helping hide terrorist suspects, including Malaysian
explosives experts Azahari bin Husin and Noordin Moh Top, both
still at large.
"The two names emerged during the reenactment in Cirebon and
Bandung. We are still trying to figure out the exact role of the
two men. What we do know is that they have a connection with
Azahari and Noordin," said Soenarko.
He also said that the two were added to the police wanted
list.
Ismail and Tohir were captured in Cirebon, West Java in
September and had been accused of helping both Azahari and
Noordin in executing the JW Marriott attack. Both have since been
in police custody.
"However, we can't ignore the other fugitives, including
Dulmatin as well as Azahari and Noordin. It is just that we may
be able to capture Abu and Qotadah faster than the latter," said
Soenarko.
Dulmatin is an explosives expert who was trained by Azahari
and also allegedly played a prominent role in bomb attacks in
Indonesia.
On Oct. 12, 2002 bombs ripped through the Sari Club and
Paddy's bar in the Resort Island of Bali. Over 200 vacationers,
mostly foreigners were killed, while some 300 others were injured
in the bombings. Less than a year after, on Aug. 5, a suicide
bombing at the JW Marriott Hotel in Jakarta killed a Dutch banker
and eleven Indonesians while injuring 147 others.
The attacks have been blamed on al-Qaeda-linked Jamaah
Islamiyah (JI) terror network, which is also accused of a string
of other attacks.
Azahari and Noordin are wanted both for the hotel attack and
the Bali bombings. They narrowly escaped a police raid at a
boarding house in Bandung, West Java in October.
Police say Azahari and Noordin are carrying explosives with
them and are planning fresh attacks.
Police have managed to capture over 30 people, including
masterminds Amrozi, Imam Samudra and Mukhlas in the Bali bombing
case. Most of them have been tried and three have been sentenced
to death while others received long jail sentences, including
life imprisonment. Most of the suspects in the JW Marriott Hotel
attack are also ready for trial.