Ten held for Cimanggis explosion

Ten held for Cimanggis explosion

Evi Mariani and Theresia Sufa, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta/Depok

The Jakarta Police declared 10 people suspects on Monday
following a low-explosive blast at a rented house in Cimanggis,
Depok, south of Jakarta, early on Sunday morning. Another 17
people who had also been questioned by city police were released
late on Monday.

The blast, reportedly the result of an accident during a bomb-
making training session, caused minor damage to the house's roof.
No casualties were reported.

"The police are still hunting several other suspects, but so
far, O is the main suspect. We believe he is the bomb-making
instructor and the organizer of the group," Jakarta Police chief
Insp. Gen. Makbul Padmanagara told a press conference.

A police source identified the suspects as Oman, Ferdiansyah,
Syarif Hidayat, Agus Kusnianto, Kamaluddin, Wasis, Candra Pasma,
Syamsu M. Arif and Inggrid, the wife of Andri Susanto alias
Kholid, who is still at large.

Another suspect, identified as WD, was arrested on Monday
before 6 p.m., said the city police detectives chief Sr. Comr.
Mathius Salempang.

The police seized a total of 31.5 kilograms of potassium
chlorate in a 30 kilogram sack and three 0.5 kilogram plastic
bags. They also confiscated nine small pipe sections, and another
section of pipe packed with explosives.

The police also found two plastic bags containing sulfur,
fragments from a detonator, a computer notebook, weighing scales,
VCDs on jihad (holy war) and a number of documents.

"We also took a pen gun from O," Makbul said.

The suspects are reportedly members of a secretive Islamic
group. They have been living in several rented houses on Gang
Abdul No. 87, Jl. Bakti ABRI, Sindang Karsa hamlet, Sukamaju Baru
subdistrict, Cimanggis district, Depok, for the last eight
months.

"We arrested these individuals as they were participating in
the terrorist training," Makbul said. "The suspects told our
investigators that Sunday's training session was the third they
had attended so far."

He refused to link the blast to the bomb found recently in a
mall in Medan, North Sumatra, or the ongoing legislative election
campaign.

On Sunday at about 10:30 a.m., locals heard the sound of an
explosion in Oman's rented house. They quickly congregated at the
scene to find out what had happened to Oman and the other members
of "the black veil group" -- the name given to the group by
locals as the women members usually wore the burkha (black robe
covering the entire body except the eyes), whenever they appeared
in public. The members of the group told the crowd that they were
fine and the sound had been caused by an exploding kerosene
stove.

One of the residents, Chief Brig. Gunawan, was suspicious and
broke into the house. Upon smelling and seeing the sulfur and
other chemicals, he ordered the 23 people inside the house to
assemble in one of the rooms, and called the Depok Police for
assistance.

Police later arrested three other people and brought them all,
13 men and 13 women, to Jakarta Police Headquarters for
questioning.

The police found most of the evidence in a house owned by
Sugeng Waluyo. Sugeng's first wife, Muliasih, lives in the house
along with her daughter, Inggrid, one of the suspects, and her
husband.

Locals said the group members were very religious and polite,
even though they did not interact actively with other residents.

"Those who rented some houses owned by Viktor Simandjuntak
said they were instant noodle sellers, while others claimed to be
doughnut vendors," said Saripudin, a local resident.

Other locals said the group regularly met on Wednesday
evenings and Sunday mornings. They had thought that the group was
only involved in religious activities, and had no inkling that
its members were also receiving terrorist training.

Many houses in the Cimanggis area are rented on a monthly
basis, something that made it easier for the group to move from
one place to another.

In July 2002, a house in Kampung Kebayuran, Tapos, Cimanggis,
was used for the assembly of the bomb that rocked the Graha
Cijantung Mall in East Jakarta. The Jakarta Police claimed the
blast was the work of five Acehnese connected with the Free Aceh
Movement.