W. Java bombing mastermind believed to live in Malaysia

BANDUNG (JP): The manhunt following the Christmas Eve bombings in West Java is moving in the direction of Malaysia, as the alleged mastermind of the fatal acts of terrorism in the province is said to live somewhere in the neighboring country.

West Java Police chief Insp. Gen. Yun Mulyana told reporters here on Monday that the latest information they had obtained from Iqbal, one of the key suspects in the bombings, indicated that an Indonesian man, identified as Hambali, alias Ridwan, ordered him to plant the bombs at a number of churches in West Java.

Police had earlier said that Iqbal was the mastermind of the Christmas Eve bombings in West Java. However, during Saturday's questioning, Iqbal said it was Hambali (42) who had directed the whole scenario, including the planting of bombs at a number of churches in Bandung, Ciamis and Sukabumi.

Hambali alias Ridwan is a native of Cianjur, who has been living in Malaysia for about 15 years.

Mulyana made the statement after inaugurating Karangsetra Plaza on Monday. The plaza belongs to the Brata Bhakti foundation, which is controlled by the police.

"Police have very little information on Hambali, and Interpol has yet to provide us with any information on him," Mulyana said.

Meanwhile, head of the West Java police detectives Sr. Comr. Sardjono said that it was not proving easy for the interrogators to get information from Iqbal. "Iqbal has said nothing for much of the time during questioning. We asked his father to accompany him eventually."

Deputy chief of the West Java Police, Comr. Gen. Pani Atma Sudirja, who accompanied Mulyana, said that there were few links between the bombings in Jakarta, East Java, West Java and Sumatra. "We are also investigating the possibility that the explosives manufacturer Dahana supplied the explosives to the bomb makers."

The West Java series of bombings began with the blast at a building on Jl. Terusan Jakarta, Bandung on the afternoon of Dec. 24. Four people were killed in this explosion, which was then followed by other explosions in Pangandaran (Ciamis) and Sukabumi.

The building on Jl. Terusan Jakarta belonged to Aceng Suhari, 55, who was questioned together with Iqbal on Saturday.

Several other cities, including Jakarta, Pekanbaru, Batam (Riau), Medan (North Sumatra) and Mojokerto (East Java) were simultaneously rocked by bomb blasts on Dec. 24 of last year.

At least 18 people died, including the four in West Java, with some 100 others being injured. (25/sur)