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.