Suicide bombing suspected in Tentena attack

Suicide bombing suspected in Tentena attack

Ruslan Sangadji and Rendi A. Witular, The Jakarta Post, Palu/Jakarta

The recent bomb attacks in Tentena in Central Sulawesi may have
been the work of a suicide bomber as one victim identified as
Iskandar was not known to locals, according to police, Christian
and Muslim leaders.

The possibility was voiced during an interfaith dialog on
Sunday evening led by priest Renaldy Damanik from the Central
Sulawesi Christian Church Communion (GKST) and a Muslim cleric,
Adnan Arsal.

The two said Iskandar, one of the 20 people killed in
Saturday's incident, was a stranger among local Christian and
Muslim communities.

On Monday, Renaldy said the Muslim and Christian communities
had agreed not to blame each other for the bombing, and had
pledged to help the police find the suspects.

Central Sulawesi Police chief of detectives Sr. Comr. Tatang
Somantri confirmed Iskandar's identity, saying that his office
was focusing their investigations on his movements before the
blast.

The man's identity was revealed after police found an
unofficial card with his name on it in his pocket, Tatang said.

Suicide bombings are the modus operandi of attacks carried out
by the regional Jamaah Islamiyah terror group, which two
fugitives, Azahari bin Husin and Noordin Muhd. Top, allegedly
belong to.

Police hold Jamaah Islamiyah responsible for the 2002 Bali
bombings, the 2003 attack on Jakarta's JW Marriot Hotel and the
2004 Australian Embassy blast, all of which involved suicide
bombers.

In Jakarta, Vice President Jusuf Kalla said on Monday there
were strong indications that Azahari and Noordin were behind the
attack on the crowded Tentena market, some 60 kilometers north of
Poso.

The two fugitives were probably assisted by new recruits in
Central Sulawesi, Kalla said.

"The suspects in the bombing are the 'old guys', with Azahari
and Noordin likely to be involved. The incident is connected with
previous attacks," he said.

Kalla said the likely motive behind the bombings was to
reignite new religious fighting in the troubled area where
hundreds of people have died in outbreaks of sectarian violence
during the past five years.

"I am really concerned with the police's inability to capture
these two fugitives. However, to replace National Police chief
(Gen. Da'i Bachtiar), we will need some time. We will see this
development later," he said.

Da'i earlier said capturing Azahari and Noordin would be a top
priority for police during the first 100 days of President Susilo
Bambang Yudhoyono's presidency.

Separately, House of Representatives Speaker Agung Laksono
said on Monday the Tentena attack showed it was time to replace
Da'i and Indonesian Military chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto.
There were plenty of good candidates waiting in the wings, Agung
said.

The bombing was solid proof the government had failed to
provide Indonesians with the standard of security it had
constantly promised during the election campaign, he said.

"The facts show this. There's still no security for the
public."

Central Sulawesi Regional Representatives Council (DPD) member
Ichsan Loulembah said the bombing was a slap in the face for the
government.

"The bombing took place when the President was abroad visiting
other nations and promoting Indonesia as a safe country for major
investment," he said.

A special House team, which was set up in December to
investigate previous bombings in Poso, is scheduled to deliver
its findings and recommendations about the string of terror
attacks in the area during a House plenary session on Tuesday.

The team is expected to suggest the government issue a special
decree on the coordination of the police and the military as the
operational separation of the two forces remains one of the major
hurdles to resolving the Poso conflict.

In Palu, Central Sulawesi Police spokesman Adj. Sr. Comr. Rais
D. Adam said on Monday his office has questioned 12 witnesses to
the recent attack.

"The National Police headquarters has sent several units to
support the investigation. But there is not yet any plan to
deploy a large number of personnel (there)," he said.

Tentena, which was spared from the earlier communal violence
that hit Poso, now has the second-highest death toll for a bomb
attack in Indonesia after Bali, where two bombs killed 202
people.