Suspect in Manado blast identified, police say

Suspect in Manado blast identified, police say

Yongker Rumteh, The Jakarta Post, Manado

Manado Police chief Adj. Sr. Com. Hengky Kaluara said his
detectives had identified the physical features of a suspect in
Saturday's bomb blast, which damaged the Philippines consulate
general on Jl. Tikala I No. 12 here.

He said that the suspect was a dark-skinned, stocky man aged
between 30 and 50 with long, straight hair. Hengky said that the
man was wearing a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up, short
pants and sandals, and that his upper leg had been wounded by a
fragment from the bomb.

"I urge the public to report to the police if they see anyone
with similar features, or have any information related to the
explosion. We also need information from the truck drivers who
stopped near the consulate on the day of the incident," he said.

The blast tore down the consulate gate, demolished a security
post and broke some windows. There were no casualties reported.

The police are currently questioning Son Mamentu, a consulate
security guard who was on duty when the incident occurred.

Son said that he received a call from someone who asked about
the venue of consul Reinaldo Martines' birthday celebration six
hours before the incident.

Police officers Jefry and Rocky Katili, who were 10 meters
away from the scene, said they immediately chased the suspect.
They added there was a truck with some passengers in it parked in
front of the building before the explosion.

A bomb hoax rattled residents in the North Sulawesi capital
earlier in the day.

The threat was received via telephone on Monday afternoon by
an official with Sam Ratulangi University's school of economics,
who immediately alerted local police.

The police bomb squad arrived at the site in 10 minutes and
surveyed the location but found nothing suspicious and declared
that the threat was a hoax.

The news about bomb threat quickly spread, with most local
residents opting to stay at home.

Another bomb blast shook Batumerah village in Ambon, Maluku,
at dawn on Monday, injuring two civilians.

Ambon Military District chief Col. Edwin Hudawi Lubis could
not provide details on the condition of the victims, but said he
had deployed security personnel to the villages to prevent
further violence.

"One of the victims has been evacuated to Al Fatah Hospital,"
he was quoted by Antara as saying.

Tension remains high in the city, as bomb hoaxes have
occurred daily since a blast on Oct. 9 that injured two policemen
and four civilians.

The bomb hoaxes have included government offices, high schools
and business centers.

Hudawi also said a civilian, Abdul Cholil, 20, was shot and
killed in Sirisori village, Saparua, on Sunday. He said the
victim was working in his fields when an unidentified man shot
him.