TNI confirms two bombing suspects are soldiers

JAKARTA (JP): Top military officials on Tuesday confirmed that two of the 27 suspects apprehended by police in connection with the Jakarta Stock Exchange (JSX) building bombing were members of the Army's Strategic Reserves Command (Kostrad) and the Army's Special Force (Kopassus).

Indonesian Military (TNI) Commander Adm. Widodo Adisutjipto said he had ordered the commanders of the two Army units concerned to investigate the matter.

"The Kostrad chief and the Kopassus commander general have been ordered to take concrete steps to carry out an investigation," Widodo told journalists.

"This is part of the maximum assistance the military is giving to investigate the series of bomb blasts in Jakarta," he said after attending a meeting of ministers under the coordinating minister for political, social and security affairs on Tuesday.

According to Widodo he had been informed by National Police Chief Gen. Suryo Bimantoro that based on preliminary evidence, the two, one of whom was arrested in Bandung, West Java on Sunday, were allegedly involved in the bomb blast.

The two were identified as Ibrahim from Kostrad, who is of Acehnese descent and Irwan from Kopassus.

The arrest of two men in Bandung on Sunday raises the number of suspects apprehended by the police to 27.

Separately Gen. Bimantoro said on Tuesday that the military officer from Kopassus who was one of the two arrested in Bandung, West Java over the bombing of the JSX building had taken an unauthorized leave of absence from his unit before the arrest.

"Second Sgt. Irwan was a member of Kopassus who deserted his unit a few days before we arrested him," Bimantoro said.

According to Bimantoro only two military members have been arrested as suspects in the bombing case.

The other military suspect, Ibrahim, was arrested along with 24 civilians in Jakarta.

"The other (military officer) is a member of Kostrad (Army's Strategic Reserves Command), who has already been detained by the military police," Bimantoro said during the official handing over of duties ceremony on Tuesday by his predecessor Gen. Rusdihardjo.

Bimantoro added that the military officer had been arrested earlier by military police for drug possession.

Bandung Police chief Insp. Gen. Yun Mulyana who also attended the ceremony said the police were still looking for two other suspects who managed to escape in a taxi before they could be arrested on Sunday in Bandung.

"We have detained the taxi driver to obtain information about the two suspects," Yun said.

Yun also said that the two suspects arrested in Bandung had come from Pidie, Aceh and would be handed over to the National Police Headquarters for questioning on Tuesday afternoon.

Most of 25 suspects who were arrested in Jakarta reportedly also hailed from Aceh.

Aceh Police chief Brig. Gen. Doddy Sumantyawan who also attended the ceremony pointed out that police still had no proof linking the bombing with the separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM) although the modus operandi in the Jakarta bombing was similar to several bomb attacks in Aceh.

Meanwhile in Banda Aceh, speaker of the provincial legislative council, Muhammad Yus called on the National Police chief not to discredit ethnic Acehnese in relation to the JSX building bombing.

"It is only a coincidence if some of the suspects hail from Aceh. That does not mean the act was committed for the Aceh people," he was quoted by Antara as saying on Tuesday.

In Yogyakarta, the TNI's Chief of Territorial Affairs Lt. Gen. Agus Widjojo said on Tuesday that the arrest of the two Army members as suspects in the bombing was a warning for TNI to improve its discipline.

"This will be an important input for us (TNI) if the two are really members of TNI," he told reporters on the sidelines of a seminar.

Agus said TNI fully supports police investigations into the possible involvement of military personnel in the recent terrorist acts.

"There is no excuse for those who violate the law," he said. "The result of the police investigation over the case will be very helpful for us."

Asked about the rumor of the alleged 'Wiranto's Document', he said, 'Let's wait for the police investigation but I haven't heard about that yet." (25/44/jaw/rms)