Police stage Marriot bombing reenactment

Nana Rukmana, The Jakarta Post, Cirebon, West Java

Police conducted here on Monday a reenactment of the arrest of two suspects in the JW Marriott Hotel bombing, hoping it would help with the hunt for the bombing masterminds, Malaysians Azahari and Noordin Mohd. Top, both of whom remain at large.

"With the reenactment, we expect to get more information on the whereabouts of Azahari and Noordin Mohd. Top," Cirebon Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Siswandi told reporters.

The reenactment, which was conducted at a food stall near the Gunung Sari hotel on Jl. Tentara Pelajar, drew the attention of the public and caused a traffic jam in the area.

The crowd laughed when they found out that the two suspects had availed of the reenactment to pay their debts to the owners of the hotel and the food stall.

"I almost forgot that they still owed me Rp 20,000 (US$2.3)," the food stall owner, Irwan, said.

Guarded by dozens of police officers, the suspects, Tohir and Ismail, who were arrested on Oct. 10, were brought to the hotel, where they had been staying before their capture, the food stall, an internet kiosk and a telecommunications kiosk.

During the reenactment, the suspects were tightlipped and refused to talk to the press.

Siswandi revealed that the suspects had admitted choosing Cirebon to hole up in as other places were no longer safe.

"Before the arrest, they often moved from one place to another, including to and from Bandung," he said.

In an effort to get more information on Azahari and Noordin, he said Tohir and Ismail would also stage another reenactment in the house they had rented in Bandung.

It was reported earlier that the police had failed to catch Azahari and Noordin at the rented house despite information provided by Tohir and Ismail.

The four men were allegedly involved in the bombing of the Marriott Hotel on Aug. 5, which killed 12 people, including the bomber, Asmar Latin Sani, and injured 142 people.

Azahari, a professor at the Malaysian Institute of Technology, was believed to have masterminded the bombing at the hotel, which was often used for meetings involving foreigners, especially from the United States.

Police are also hunting for Azahari, who reportedly learned his bomb skills in Afghanistan, for his alleged key role in the Bali bombings last year, which killed 202 people, many of whom were Australians.