Suspects intended to plant bombs: Police
JAKARTA (JP): A map and documents found in a Tanah Tinggi apartment, where an unfinished bomb exploded Sunday, indicated that the three suspects intended to plant the explosives in the capital, city police chief Maj. Gen. Hamami Nata said.
But Hamami stressed that the group had not had a chance to carry out their plan before the homemade bomb accidentally exploded, resulting in the arrest of one of the suspects.
"None of the bombs had been planted," Hamami told reporters after a breaking of the fast gathering in East Jakarta on Monday evening.
The two-star general refused to name the locations where the group allegedly plotted to detonate the bombs.
"There's no need for people to know about the target locations."
The blast Sunday evening in a cheap, rented apartment in Central Jakarta, badly damaged the room and the ceiling of the unit below.
No fatalities were reported. One of the suspects, identified as Agus Priyono, who is in his 30s, was apprehended by other residents. His two alleged accomplices were wounded but managed to flee.
At least six boxes of detonators, dozens of unfinished homemade bombs, a number of electronic devices, maps, a laptop computer and some publications -- mostly about local riots and international terrorism -- were confiscated as evidence.
According to city police spokesman Lt. Col. E. Aritonang, his office was still investigating a possible connection between the alleged bomb makers and the banned youth organization Democratic People's Party (PRD).
"There's always a possibility that they were associated with PRD," he said. "There's a similarity in the nuances of this group's activities and PRD's. But that allegation has to be proved. That's why we're now examining all documents found at the scene."
On Monday, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Wiranto and Central Jakarta Police Chief Lt. Col. Iman Haryatna disclosed that the blast was linked to an antiestablishment movement inspired by PRD.
A police source explained yesterday that the bombs are less sophisticated than those confiscated in other cases.
The officer, who did not want to be identified, said the alleged bomb makers focused more on creating a large bang rather than a dangerous explosion.
"The noise of the bang can hardly wound or kill people near the bomb," he said. "In this case, you see that only the ceiling of the room and a very small part of the wall were damaged and the suspects were still okay.
"But it is still unclear whether the suspects planned to create public chaos in the city with their homemade explosives."
According to Aritonang, the city police have started to comb all possible places were the suspects may be hiding.
"We're also investigating the sources of the materials used by the suspects, whether they got them locally or imported them from overseas sources," he said.
The suspects were believed to have used potassium as the main ingredient in their bombs.
Armed Forces spokesman Brig. Gen. A. Wahab Mokodongan denied allegations that the bomb explosion was "engineered" so that members of the outlawed PRD could be accused of being involved.
"It's not true that Armed Forces Headquarters was behind the bomb explosion," he told reporters last night.
A witness, housewife Marni, said she heard what sounded like people "hitting something against the wall or floor". The noise, which started in the morning, continued despite complaints to the occupants of the room.
According to Mokodongan, the youths were part of the antigovernment movement and were trying to disrupt national stability.
"Their acts look like terrorism," he said.
The Armed Forces chief, he said, has ordered National Police and Armed Forces Intelligence Agency (BIA) to find the two suspects who are still at large. (cst/imn)