The Bali bomb investigation

The Bali bomb investigation

The police investigation of the Bali bombing is apparently
coming to its final stages, despite many important, lingering
questions among the general populace.

Are those people said to be involved in the Bali bombing
real, or just the fictitious result of police or intelligence
agents' manipulation? Are they all members of Jamaah Islamiyah
(JI)?

The police have arrested a suspect named Amrozi. Now they want
Hambali (Riduan Isamudin), the alleged operational leader of JI.
The police are also hunting at least four people close to Amrozi,
while intensively questioning Muhammad Zakaria, leader of the al-
Islam Islamic boarding school in Lamongan, East Java.

With these facts, it seems to us that things are clear; those
behind the Bali bombing have all been identified.

First it was al-Qaeda, now it is JI's turn to be suspected as
a Muslim radical group. And the stigmatization of JI as a new
ghost has begun. Does JI really exist? Where is its head office
and who is the top leader?

Alfitra Salam, an observer who has been living in Malaysia for
many years, could be right when he speculates that JI is an
imaginary organization created by intelligence agents working for
Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad. Mahathir's move was apparently
made in an effort to block the opposition party led by Anwar
Ibrahim.

There are always mysterious possibilities when it comes to
terrorism. We do hope that the Bali bomb mystery will be resolved
soon in as transparent a manner as possible.

-- Republika, Jakarta