Two wanted for blast at Embassy of Malaysia

JAKARTA (JP): Police detectives are looking for two men in connection with a bomb explosion on Sunday night in the parking lot of the Malaysian Embassy in Kuningan, South Jakarta.

The chief of Jakarta Police Criminal Investigation Sr. Supt. Harry Montolalu said on Monday that the search for the two men was based on testimony given by a transvestite prostitute, who was near the embassy when the blast took place at around 10 p.m.

The officer quoted the witness as saying that the two men, whose descriptions are being withheld by the police, stopped at the site in a Toyota Kijang minivan.

"The transvestite said one of the two men got out of the dark minivan and threw something into the compound before they sped away," Harry said.

"Seconds later, the blast rocked the site," Harry said.

Harry and his men also refused to disclose the identity of the witness, who apparently solicited customers in the area.

According to Harry, police have already questioned two other witnesses, namely Agus Setiawan, a security personnel at the embassy, and an unidentified street vendor.

No fatalities were reported from the blast, which comes about four weeks after a devastating explosion in front of the Philippine ambassador's residence on Jl. Imam Bonjol in Central Jakarta.

Judging from the damage it caused, the explosive device used by the suspects was powerful, officers at the scene said.

Reporters were not allowed to get a closer look at the blast site but Harry said that several paving blocks at the parking lot were damaged, leaving a 30-centimeter wide and five-centimeter deep hole in its wake.

The type of device used by the suspects remains unclear, and police officers gave conflicting statements over the matter.

Jakarta Police spokesman Supt. Muhammad Nur H. Usman said the blast came from a grenade.

"The police bomb squad (Gegana) has already found a grenade pin at the scene," Nur said.

When asked for confirmation, officer Harry dismissed the statement, saying that the Nur's conclusion was premature.

"Who said that? Only the Police Forensic Laboratory is qualified to identify the type of explosive used here," he said.

Separately, the Malaysia Embassy said in a statement that the blast caused no fatalities or losses.

"The explosive device was believed to be thrown from outside the compound of the embassy," it said on Monday.

According to officer Harry, his detectives are still busy probing the Aug. 1 bombing in front of the Philippine ambassador's residence which killed two people and injured several others, including Ambassador Leonides T.Caday.

In a related development, Medan Regional Police chief Sr. Supt. Hasyim Irianto revealed that the series of bombing in Medan this month was likely perpetrated by one person.

"Preliminary investigations reveal that the two bombs that exploded on Sunday near Jl. Bahagia in Medan Tenggara have similar properties with the two explosives that exploded near the Protestant Church in Padang Builan area a week earlier," Hasyim said.

Timers and sulfur were found in the fragments of the four bombs, he said.

"We suspect this had been committed by a professional, single- handedly ... but we cannot yet reveal the identity or the organization the person is working for," Hasyim said.

Hasyim, however, failed to explain whether the August incident is related to the May bombing. "We are working on it," he said.

On May 28, a bomb exploded during a service at the Indonesian Protestant Church in downtown Medan, injuring 47 members of the congregation. Two other bombs were planted separately at two different churches here, but they failed to explode. (asa/39/edt)