Probe to expose possible bomb blast suspects

I Wayan Juniartha and Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar

The investigation team probing the deadly Bali bomb blasts of Oct. 12 are set to release sketches of three men who may be able to help investigators with their inquiries.

Insp. Gen. I Made Mangku Pastika, who chairs the inquiry team, told The Jakarta Post here on Monday that investigators would release the sketches of three people who may have played a role in the bombings.

"We are now still in the process of finalizing and perfecting the sketches. Hopefully, by Wednesday, the sketches will be completed and distributed to the public through the media," he said.

"I believe the initial sketches are not complete. It will be difficult for the public to identify or recognize somebody by looking at the rough sketches," he said.

More than two weeks after the blasts, there has been little visible progress made by the inquiry team.

The joint team, comprising investigators and experts from a number of countries, have questioned almost 200 people, including ten Pakistanis.

Almost 200 people were killed and more than 325 injured in the trio of blasts in Kuta, in what may be the world's single biggest act of terrorism since the Sept. 11 attacks in the United States.

The prior arrest in Indonesia of terror suspect Omar Al-Faruq and his interrogation by U.S. authorities has revealed the alleged involvement of Indonesian figures in terrorist activities, including Hambali, a resident of Cianjur in West Java, and Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Ba'asyir, owner of the Al- Muqmin Islamic Boarding School in Ngruki, Surakarta, Central Java.

Al-Faruq, who once worked as a Muslim preacher in Makassar, South Sulawesi, and Ambon, Maluku, has implicated the two were involved in several bombings and a plot to assassinate President Megawati Soekarnoputri.

Ba'asyir, now in police custody, has rejected the accusations.

Ba'asyir has been linked to Jamaah Islamiyah (JI), an alleged terrorist organization that aims to create a pan-Islamic state in Southeast Asia. JI has been officially declared a terrorist organization with links to al-Qaeda, the network apparently led by Sept. 11 mastermind Osama bin Laden.

The links have stoked fears that al-Qaeda or JI cells are operating undetected in Indonesia.

The intelligence team led by National Intelligence Agency (BIN) Chief Hendropriyono has claimed to have identified the perpetrators of the Bali blasts. No arrests have been made.

In Jakarta, Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono rejected on Monday rumors of two Army generals being involved in the bomb blasts, saying no generals had ever been mentioned in intelligence reports.

"Many rumors have been making the rounds about the terrorist attacks in Bali. Only 90 minutes ago did I discuss with the National Police chief the rumors about the involvement of two generals in the Bali bomb explosions.

"I would like to call on all parties concerned to allow the process of the investigation to continue and refrain from making any conclusions pending the conclusion of the investigation," Susilo said.

He warned against people reaching hasty conclusions that could lead to increased friction between social groups and even national disintegration.

In a related development, British ambassador to Indonesia Richard Gozney and Australian Ambassador Richard Smith held a meeting with Bali Governor I Dewa Made Beratha to discuss opening the crime site to the public.

The governor said the investigation had disrupted public access to the area, and prevented the local Balinese from conducting the necessary cleansing rituals.

Legian street, where the destroyed Sari Club and Paddy's bar were located, has been cordoned off as police sift through the debris.

Several areas around the blast site were opened on Sunday evening, but 'ground zero' outside Sari Club and Paddy's is still off limits.