Terrorism handbook alarms police

JAKARTA (JP): A senior police intelligence officer revealed on Tuesday that copies of a handbook on terrorism were circulating in the capital.

Speaking at a hearing with legislators, assistant to the National Police chief for intelligence affairs Maj. Gen. Guntur Sumastopo said that the book contained, among other things, instructions on how to assemble explosive devices.

"Descriptions on how to make bombs, from the very simplest to more complicated ones, are listed in the book," Guntur said, but did not reveal what language they were written in.

He also did not say who the author and distributor of the books were.

The officer said the guidebook showed in detail how to make a homemade bomb using kerosene and carbon, both of which can be easily obtained here.

Guntur was addressing legislators from the House of Representative's Commission II for home and legal affairs at a hearing between the commission and the National Police Headquarters led by chief Gen. Rusdihardjo.

He said that copies of a similar handbook were found at the scene of a homemade bomb blast in a rented apartment in Tanah Tinggi, Central Jakarta, in January 1998. At the time the police arrested one man.

"When we checked the hard disk of a computer in the apartment, we found (the handbook)," Guntur said.

He said that the book also contained instructions on how to organize street demonstrations.

The instructions, he said, might have been used by parties to organize demonstrations here.

"Some parties can be paid to organize demonstrations," Guntur said, adding such organizations could prepare a rally in a relatively short space of time.

"Usually it takes a few weeks to organize a demonstration with 40 to 100 people, but these 'demonstration companies' can do it in three days," Guntur said.

He said that each demonstrator was usually paid Rp 50,000 for attending.

"I'm asking political elites to kindly not use these companies' services," Guntur added.(08)