Police seek key suspect of bank robbery, bombing

Police seek key suspect of bank robbery, bombing

JAKARTA (JP): Police are tracing the whereabouts of a forty-
year-old man believed to be the mastermind behind the Hayam Wuruk
Plaza explosion and the armed robbery attempt at the nearby Bank
Central Asia (BCA) branch in West Jakarta last Thursday, police
chief said on Wednesday.

Maj. Gen. Noegroho Djajoesman said the man, identified only as
Amir, might have left the capital immediately after the two
incidents, which happened in a time span of about 15 minutes.

"We can pinpoint that he's the mastermind behind the explosion
and the robbery attempt, based on confessions from arrested
suspects," Noegroho said.

Police provided no other details about Amir, saying
information about the suspect's background was currently limited.

City police spokesman Lt. Col. Zainuri Lubis said he had no
leads on Amir's profession, but that he was an activist of a
Muslim organization. He refused to provide further details.

Media reports said Amir was the leader of a Muslim
organization called Angkatan Mujahiddin Islam Nusantara (AMIN)
based in Bogor, south of here.

According to the reports, Amir and his accomplices received
military-style training at a location in a remote area of
Caringin Maseng subdistrict in Bogor.

At the camp, police reportedly found a house in which ten
homemade bombs were discovered. The bombs were believed to have
been bought in Lampung, southern Sumatra.

Earlier, Bogor police said the Caringin Maseng base was used
by the group for military exercises, including bomb making, for
at least four years.

When asked about the organization's alleged involvement in the
two incidents and Amir's role in the group, Noegroho said police
were yet to issue an official statement about the subject.

"I never said anything about the organization," the two-star
general said.

In an attempt to help trace the suspect, police on Wednesday
distributed photographs of Amir to the media, in the hope the
public could provide a lead to his whereabouts.

The pictures, which were not current, were seized by
detectives from Amir's second wife, who resides in the East
Jakarta area.

Noegroho insisted on Wednesday that the two incidents (the
blast and the robbery) in the Glodok Chinatown area were related.

However, he declined to reveal details, saying the cases were
still unfolding.

He said the conclusion was based on a confession from one of
the detained suspects.

Based on the preliminary investigation, police said the
robbery was a purely criminal act, while the motive for the
bombing remained unclear.

As of Wednesday, no suspects in the bombing case had been
apprehended. In the robbery case, in which a bank security guard
was killed, police have so far arrested 13 suspects.

The first two were arrested at the scene on Thursday with a
FN-type weapon and Rp 53 million (US$6,125) in their possession.
Another eight suspects were apprehended in the following days.

The latest three suspects were apprehended late Tuesday in
Bogor. They were identified as Muhammad Yadi alias Fero, Edi
Junaedi alias Mala and Abdul Rozak.

Istiqlal blast

When asked whether the two cases were related to Monday's
powerful blast in the basement of the Istiqlal Grand Mosque in
Central Jakarta, Noegroho said the answer could only be clarified
once Amir was arrested.

"Only Amir and his accomplices know whether they also (are
responsible) for the blast in the Istiqlal basement."

He said police had identified two men suspected of placing the
explosive devices in the basement of the biggest mosque in the
region. He said police had questioned dozens of people, including
security guards, parking attendants and drink vendors at the
mosque.

Police sketches of the two men's faces were distributed to the
media.

A source close to the investigation said police had made
connections between the three incidents but were reluctant to
reveal their findings to the public.

The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, alleged that
political motives were behind the incidents.

"These are all sensitive cases as police also deal with
political conflicts... we must only unveil the criminal aspect
(of the cases)."

He said a loosely structured organization had been established
to disrupt the country in the run-up to the June 7 general
election.

The blast caused the mosque Rp 500 million in losses.

Meanwhile, a bomb hoax created panic among employees and
customers at a Hero supermarket on Jl. Gatot Subroto in South
Jakarta on Wednesday afternoon.

Another suspicious incident took place in Central Jakarta on
Wednesday afternoon, when a black bag, found under the pedestrian
overpass in front of the Bank Indonesia building, was thought to
contain an explosive device.

The Gegana Bomb Squad rushed to the scene and took charge of
the bag which weighed two kilograms. Antara reported last night
that the bag was filled only with papers, believed to have been
left by protesting discharged bank employees.

On Tuesday, the 19th century Catholic cathedral and state
television station TVRI received bomb threats, both of which
turned out to be hoaxes. (emf)