Terrorism handbook alarms police

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)