Tangerang blast puzzle police

Tangerang blast puzzle police

JAKARTA (JP): Tangerang Police detectives submitted to the
National Police forensics laboratory (Puslabfor) fragments of a
schoolbag which exploded on Thursday evening in front of the
Mitra supermarket in Telaga Sari village, Cikupa.

The 6 p.m. blast seriously injured high school students
Tutilawati, 18, a resident of Pasar Kemis, Tangerang, and Lo'ot,
17, also a resident of Pasar Kemis. Both were immediately rushed
to Tangerang General Hospital for medical treatment.

"The blast originated from Lo'ot's schoolbag. Both students
were returning to their homes, Lo'ot handed his bag to the girl,
and his bag exploded," Lt. Col. Pudji Hartanto said on Friday.

Lo'ot suffered serious back wounds, while Tutilawati's arms
were lacerated.

"So far we have found no trace of any bomb or explosive
particle in the vicinity of the blast area. Nothing at all ... so
we don't know whether it was a firecracker, a grenade or what. We
don't know whether there was any TNT (flammable toxic compound
trinitrotoluene) or not."

National Police deputy Puslabfor chief Col. Dudon Saputra
previously stated that when a blast occurs, the explosive
material itself "does not disappear into thin air".

"There is always bomb residue left behind. That is enough to
determine the composition of a bomb, and what mechanism was used
to activate it," Dudon said recently.

"In any sort of explosion or fire, the bomb itself is never
really finished totally. There is always residue." (ylt)