Suspects confess to part in McDonald's attack: Police
Suspects confess to part in McDonald's attack: Police
Slamet Susanto, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta
Terror suspect Agung Abdul Hamid, who was recently captured in
Yogyakarta along with an accomplice Munir Saleh, confessed to
playing a role in the 2002 McDonald's blast in Makassar, South
Sulawesi, police said on Tuesday.
Agung alias Arifin, 36, and Munir alias Anshari, 27, were
flown from Yogyakarta's Adi Sucipto Airport to Makassar at around
1 p.m. on Tuesday aboard a commercial flight for further
questioning.
Yogyakarta Police chief of detectives Sr. Comr. Endi Sutendi
said that Agung admitted to having been involved in the Dec. 5,
2002 bombing of the McDonald's, which killed five people.
The alleged mastermind behind the blast was asked more than 50
questions during the interrogation at the Yogyakarta Police
headquarters, which was conducted by an antiterror team from the
South Sulawesi Police department.
"We have sent Agung and Munir to Makassar for further
questioning," Endi said.
The suspects were taken from the Yogyakarta Police
headquarters to the airport at noon, and alit their vehicles
while repeatedly shouting Allahu abkar (Allah is great) as
onlookers gathered around them.
Agung and Munir had long been wanted by police since the
deadly bombing in December 2002, during Ramadhan, in Makassar.
Agung reportedly fled with high explosives.
Endi said that Agung and Munir had been living in Yogyakarta
for quite some time before they were arrested on Sunday.
"During his stay in Yogyakarta, Agung often moved from one
place to another and went several times to Jakarta, Solo
(Surakarta) and Surabaya. When we finally arrested him, there was
no physical evidence confiscated," Endi added.
He said that Agung was disguised as an onion trader who moved
from one town to another, while Munir acted as a used goods
vendor at the Klithikan traditional market in Yogyakarta.
The National Police detectives believe there is a link between
the Makassar and Bali bombings. Both attacks have been blamed on
the Jamaah Islamiyah (JI) terror group.
The police were apparently still investigating whether Agung
was part of JI and involved in other terror attacks throughout
the country.