Suspects play out final preparations of Bali bombing

Berni K. Moestafa, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The three suspects in the Bali bombings reenacted on Sunday the final preparations for the attack, which included purchasing the minivan and preparing the explosives.

Suspects Amrozi, his brother Ali Ghufron, alias Mukhlas, and Abdul Aziz, alias Imam Samudra, showed how they carried out their preparations before Amrozi and Samudra went to Bali to allegedly help set off the bombs that killed more than 190 people, mainly foreign tourists.

The last meeting took place on Sept. 2 in the home of the brothers' parents in the village of Tenggulun in Lamongan East Java.

"We have to be extra careful. The Tenggulun visit jogged their memories and helped fill the holes in their previous confessions," police spokesman Brig. Gen. Edward Aritonang told AP.

A clearer picture of the flow of cash which apparently financed the bombings and the chemicals used in it emerged from Sunday's reenactment, Edward said, but he did not elaborate further.

The three suspects arrived in Tenggulan from Surabaya, where they spent overnight after traveling from Solo, Central Java, where the first scenes of the reenactment began on Saturday.

Locals and reporters awaited the group's arrival in the village since the early morning. Security was tight and a police line kept reporters about 10 meters away from the house where the meeting occurred. Arriving at about 9:15 a.m., Amrozi and Mukhlas were greeted by their parents and elder brother M. Khozin, Antara reported.

Amrozi, Mukhlas and Samudra played out 15 scenes during the reenactment of the meeting, which lasted more than an hour.

The meeting was attended by five suspects, three of whom remain at large. They are Guru alias Pamungkas, Idris and Dulmatin, who is believed to have assembled the bomb.

The reenactment began with Samudra and Idris arriving at the house, and Samudra giving Idris and Amrozi money to purchase the chemicals and the minivan that police believe was used in the bombing.

In another scene, Idris and Amrozi purchased the materials for the explosives from a chemical shop named Tidar Kimia in Surabaya. They also acquired the minivan and a ticket to Bali for Amrozi. The last scenes of the reenactment showed Amrozi preparing the chemicals and then Amrozi and Samudra leaving for Bali while Mukhlas watched.

The three were among the eight suspects flown over from Bali on Saturday to reenact the planning.

Based on the investigation, the biggest explosion in front of a crowded nightclub in Bali came from inside the L-300 Mitsubishi minivan. Perpetrators detonated the bomb with a cellular phone after they left the minivan parked in front of the club.

But the police have yet to determine the exact mix of materials used in the bomb, as the chemicals Amrozi told them he purchased does not entirely match the materials that police believe were used in the bomb.

Police have nabbed 15 suspects in connection to the bombing.

They are believed to be members of the Jamaah Islamiyah (JI), a loose organization that aims to establish a pan-Islamic state in Southeast Asia.

Lawyers of the three suspects demanded the police carry out the reenactment, claiming that the suspects' meetings were part of a campaign to expel Western foreigners from Surabaya.

But the outcome of the reenactment appears to have instead underlined suspicion of their involvement in the bombing.

The reenactment on Saturday involved eight suspects, who in July and August met in the Central Java city of Solo to allegedly plan the attack.

During the reenactment, police learned of Zulkarnaen, a new name in the group of suspects. He is believed to be the commander of JI's militia wing Askari Islamiyah.

The finding marks the latest evidence to link the Bali bombing to JI, whose spiritual leader is believed to be cleric Abu Bakar Ba'asyir.

So far, police have made no immediate links showing Ba'asyir's role in the Bali bombing. He was arrested after the incident due to his alleged involvement behind a string of church bombings across the country in Christmas 2000.