Police release pictures of Cicurug bomb makers

Abdul Khalik and Yuli Tri Suwarni, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta/Bandung

Police released on Tuesday pictures of Abdullah, Jabir and Afuy, three of four owners of high explosive found in Cicurug village, Sukabumi, West Java, after naming them suspects in the Sept. 9 bombing outside the Australian Embassy in South Jakarta.

National Police detectives chief Com. Gen. Suyitno Landung Sudjono said the police were now matching the dry blood found in a rented house in Cicurug with blood samples of family members of other suspects in the embassy attack.

"Some neighbors identified Jabir and Afuy as two of the four men who rented the house," said Suyitno.

A small explosion went off at around 8:30 p.m. on Thursday at a rented house in the village, about 80 kilometers southwest of Jakarta. The hand of one of the men, later identified as Abdullah, 18, was wounded, and he was admitted to a nearby clinic.

Police suspect the other tenant was Hassan, who is wanted for his role in last month's blast.

The four never returned to the rented house, where police later found two backpacks of TNT, an explosive material that was used in the Sept. 9 bomb attack.

"The brown residue we found at the house is TNT. We are still examining our findings," he said.

Suyitno confirmed that the four men were new recruits of Malaysian fugitives Azahari bin Husin and Noordin Moh Top, who have been wanted for their key role in the 2002 Bali bombings -- in which 202 people were killed -- the 2003 JW Marriott Hotel attack that claimed 12 lives and last month's suicide bombing that left 10 people dead.

Separately, Siliwangi Military Commander overseeing West Java Maj. Gen. Iwan Ridwan Sulandjana said he believed that Azahari and Noordin were still hiding in southern Cianjur or southern Sukabumi.

"We suspect that areas in West Java, such as Cianjur, Sukabumi, Tasikmalaya and Ciamis are their hiding places. It is hard for us, and the police, to trace them as the areas are isolated. However, we have asked regents there to stay alert," said Iwan.

He added his officers were verifying reports of a US$1 million bank transfer from the United States to finance the construction of a big mosque in a remote village in southern Cianjur.

"We know that it is an area that supplies migrant workers bound to Saudi Arabia. But the sender came from the U.S., and it is hard to believe that such a huge amount should be given to a mosque in a remote area," said Iwan.

He would not say whether the money had been linked to a certain organization or individual who assists terror activities in the country.