Weaponry linked to terror suspects
Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The National Police said on Tuesday the latest finding of ammunition and an FN-45 gun in a cave at the tourist resort of Tawangmangu in Karanganyar regency, Central Java, was linked to the recent arrests of terror suspects.
"Police received information about guns (and ammunition) hidden by them (terrorist suspects). One of the hidden weapons has been found in Tawangmangu," said National Police deputy spokesman Sr. Comr. Zainuri Lubis.
Surakarta Police in Central Java said on Monday they had recovered 90.32 millimeter bullets and an FN-45 gun following a tipoff from local residents who wanted to hold a traditional ceremony in the cave. The bullets and the pistol were in a plastic container.
Zainuri said the weaponry was connected to at least 17 terrorist suspects arrested by police between August and September in the provinces of Lampung, Central Java and Jakarta.
The police released four of those detained suspects and have declared them witnesses.
Zainuri, quoting confessions by the suspects, said Tawangmangu was one of the places they often held meetings with accomplices.
"The police will continue tracking down the whereabouts of other ammunition and guns hidden by the suspected terrorists," he said.
The police accused the arrested men of plotting to launch attacks on several vital targets, including the National Police and Jakarta Police headquarters.
They also planned attacks in Tawangmangu, and the hill resort of Puncak, Bogor municipality, West Java, the police said.
Earlier last month, Karang Anyar Police discovered 2,645 bullets in the regency and linked them to the suspected terrorists in question.
Zainuri said the detained suspects would be charged with violating articles 14 and 15 of the 2003 Antiterrorism Law and Law No. 12/1951 on the illegal possession of firearms and ammunition.
Police have blamed Jamaah Islamiyah for a series of bombings in the country, including last October's Bali blasts that killed 102 people, and the August 2003 attack on Jakarta's JW Marriott Hotel, in which 12 were killed.