Two suspected bombers arrested
Two suspected bombers arrested
Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Two men have been arrested in the West Sumatra capital of Padang
for their apparent role in the Marriott bombing on Aug. 5, said
Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Makbul Padmanagara on Wednesday.
"We have captured them ... They are now being questioned by
the police," he said after the public appointments of several
police chiefs.
Makbul refused to name the suspects but a senior police
detective, who requested anonymity, confirmed that they were
identified as Thohir and Jabir.
The police had been searching for them for more than two
weeks. The explosion killed 12 people and injured 147 others.
The arrest was made on Sunday after police detectives managed
to track them down in a nationwide search.
The detective said that Thohir was believed to be one of the
key people in the Marriott bombing along with Asmar Latin Sani,
the alleged suicide bomber.
Thohir was believed to be the one who got out of the Toyota
Kijang van, heavily packed with explosives and fuel, just before
it went off in the hotel's driveway.
The police declined to give details on the role of Jabir in
the bombing.
Police announced earlier that they had arrested at least 10
suspects related to the bombing in several areas across the
country.
A police source said that some of the suspects still on the
run were Malaysian nationals Iqbal and Andi Syachrudin. Malikul,
Datuk Rajo Ame, Toni Togar, Idris, M. Rois, Heru and Solichin
were arrested in some areas in Sumatra and Java.
The police have also released photos of five wanted suspects
including Malaysian Noor Din Mohd Top and alleged bombmakers in
last year's Bali bombings, which claimed 202 lives, Dulmatin and
Dr. Azahari.
Most of the arrested suspects have been accused of aiding and
abetting the key members of the terrorist cell, apparently based
in southern Sumatra and western Java.
"The explosives were first brought to Indonesia through Dumai
in southern Sumatra from Malaysia by Iqbal and Andi Syachrudin,
some time in 2000. The explosives consisted of six packages of
explosive materials, sewn into several sacks," the source said.
The source also said that police lost track of the explosives
after they got information in June, following the arrest several
men now suspected of being involved with the Marriott bombers,
that Asmar and Thohir were in Jakarta with the bombs.