Suspected bomb makes police busy

JAKARTA (JP): A suitcase, abandoned at Soekarno-Hatta Airport on Sunday night and suspected of containing explosives, turned out to be a piece of ordinary travel luggage.

The suitcase, which was believed to be accidentally left behind by its owner at the departure section of Terminal D, kept airport and City Police officers busy for a while.

City Police spokesman Lt. Col. E. Aritonang said yesterday that officers of the Police Bomb Disposal Squad were immediately deployed to the airport to secure the area, following a telephone call from airport officers at 12:30 a.m.

He said airport officers made the call after they found the strange bag at about 10 p.m. on Sunday. They did not want to take any chances if the suitcase contained a bomb.

"The 15-kilogram suitcase was later placed in a special bomb container and brought to Police Mobile Brigade Headquarters in Kelapa Dua, Bogor, for further examination," Aritonang said.

City Police Chief Maj. Gen. Hamami Nata told reporters yesterday afternoon, however, that the suitcase did not contain any explosives.

"It was just a regular suitcase and there was nothing dangerous about it. A label with a person's name was attached to it, so the owner must have accidentally left it behind," Hamami said, after a ceremony where 22 motorbikes from the City Tourism Office were given to City Police.

The 22 Yamaha RX King motorbikes were donated to help support police operations. (cst)