Suspected JSX bombers arrested

Suspected JSX bombers arrested

JAKARTA (JP): Police announced on Sunday the arrest of a gang
of 25 men allegedly involved in a recent fatal blast at the
Jakarta Stock Exchange (JSX) building and a grenade explosion
last month at the Malaysian Embassy.

The gang's whereabouts was uncovered after one of its members
was arrested early on Saturday on his way to blow up the U.S.
Embassy and Sarinah department store, both in the heart of the
capital.

But police officers gave conflicting statements over the
military status of some of the suspects. Moreover, the police are
still in the dark about the motives and sponsors of the group to
terrorize the capital.

According to Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Nurfaizi, none of
the 25 suspects was from the military. However, the two-star
general firmly believed that the gang members were all armed
civilians and have special links with rebel movement in Aceh.

Contradicting Nurfaizi's remark, his newly appointed superior,
National Police chief, Comr. Gen. Bimantoro, said that two of the
suspects detained by the Jakarta Police were from the military.

"One of them has been in Military Police custody," Bimantoro
told reporters on board a military flight from Atambua to Jakarta
on Sunday evening.

A source at city police shared Bimantoro's remarks, saying
that at least one suspect was from the Army's special force
(Kopassus).

"The other one is from the Army Strategic Reserves Command
(Kostrad)," the police source said, adding that the arrest of the
25 suspects was made with the help of Kopassus.

"Without Kopassus (officers), we (police) would never have
been able to get those men at the Ciganjur workshop," the source
said, referring to the Krung Baru Motor auto repair shop in
Ciganjur where most of the suspects were caught on Sunday.

City police chief of detectives, Sr. Supt. Harry Montolalu,
identified the suspects, aged between 24 and 43, as repair shop
owner Tengku Ismuhadi, as well as Iwan Setiawan, alias Husen,
Zukri, Zakaria, Bahtiar, Tabrani, Heri Adan, Nuryadin, Hasnali,
Azhar, Tarmizi, Suwardi, Fauzi A. Rahman, Asri Hanafiah, Ismail,
Rahman Zainal, Saleh Daud, Muhammad Rizal, Fazri Husen, Aswadi H.
Jamil, Armia, Sardini, Jufri Nurdin, Saefan Nurdin and Mudin.

According to Harry, who accompanied Nurfaizi at the media
conference, Iwan was the first suspect caught by the police.

It remains unclear whether the police had been monitoring this
group for a long time. Nurfaizi only said that the arrest of Iwan
inside a taxi at 4 a.m. on Saturday at a Cilandak traffic light
in South Jakarta was based on a tip-off from the public.

Harry said that police confiscated two grenades with casings
from Iwan's possession, which the suspect planned to plant at the
U.S. embassy and Sarinah department store.

Through Iwan, police then caught two other suspects.

"The three confessed to their involvement in the grenade
explosion on Aug. 27 in the parking lot of the Malaysian Embassy,
Kuningan, South Jakarta," Nurfaizi said.

A police source said the first three suspects confessed that
Iwan had been given Rp 20 million (US$2,300) to bomb the
Malaysian Embassy.

"Of the Rp 20 million, Iwan used Rp 300,000 to rent a Kijang
van to place the bomb in embassy's parking lot, and paid at least
Rp 300,000 each to the two other suspects," the source said.

From arresting the three, the police headed to the group's
headquarters at the Ciganjur auto repair shop, which is about 200
meters from the private residence of President Abdurrahman Wahid.

Here, the police caught the remaining 22 suspects as the
officers believed the place had been used for constructing bombs.

"Based on the preliminary investigation, all 25 suspects are
suspected of being involved in the Sept. 13 powerful blast at the
JSX," Nurfaizi said, referring the explosion in the building's
undercover parking lot that killed at least 11 people, injured
dozens of others and damaged some 200 vehicles.

The Krung Baru Motor repair shop is located on Jl. Warung Sila
No. 99, Cipedak, Jagakarsa.

Locals said that most of the suspects were from Aceh, just
like the owner, Tengku Ismuhadi.

Neighborhood chief Darya said on Sunday that Tengku Ismuhadi,
who claimed to have come from Blangmerah, Aceh, had established
the garage a year ago.

"He once invited me to a religious gathering, and I did not
understand the language used by others invited to the
gathering ... they were speaking Acehnese," Darya told reporters.

Separately, Jamaluddin, a local who was questioned by police
on Saturday as a witness, said on Sunday the whole shop is quite
open.

"There is no hidden place here which could hide something like
making bombs. There is a place to rest here and to store the
garage's equipment, that's all."

But Jamaluddin confirmed that most of the people, including
visitors, often used the Acehnese language. (07/ylt/dja)