Wives of bomb blast suspects protest arrests

Wives of bomb blast suspects protest arrests

JAKARTA (JP): Wives of four suspects in the April 15 foiled
robbery attempt and bomb blast in West Jakarta visited the
National Commission on Human Rights on Wednesday to protest the
arrest of their spouses.

Accompanied by Bogor activists who called themselves members
of a fact-finding team, the women said police arrested their
husbands, identified as Ichwan, Edi Rohadi, Jahid and Naiman,
without any warrants.

"We are also not allowed to visit our husbands at the city
police detention," Melly Rahayu, the wife of Ichwan, said.

Melly said her husband and the other men were arrested one day
after the blast in their respective houses in Warung Menteng
village, Cijeruk district, Bogor.

Besides the improper arrest, the women said their houses had
been searched by police, without warrants.

After visiting the commission on Jl. Latuharhari in Central
Jakarta, the women went to Jakarta Police Headquarters where they
were allowed to meet with their husbands for half an hour.

The four detainees are among 21 people arrested by police for
their alleged involvement in the crimes. The detainees claim to
be members of Angkatan Mujahidin Islam Nusantara (AMIN) group.
Seven of the detained suspects lived in Jakarta.

Coordinator of the fact-finding team Nanang Subana Dirja, said
the women requested permission to return home as soon as
possible, as they heard news their houses in Warung Menteng
village were about to be attacked.

Acun, a resident from the neighboring village Caringin, rushed
to the area on Wednesday when he heard from an ojek (motorcycle
taxi) driver that houses owned by the "AMIN activists" were to be
burned.

"I heard the news at about 9 a.m. I saw people (from other
villages) had already gathered here," 39-year-old Acun said.

At the village, many people were seen gathering along the
nearby railway tracks which separate the houses of the five
suspects from other residents.

Locals admitted they had heard the same news, however, no one
was able to pinpoint the source.

There are only six houses in the area, located on upper ground
and separated by the Bogor-Sukabumi railway line.

On the hill, there was a newly built small mosque, resembling
an altar with cement walls, on which Arabic words were written:
Allahu Akbar (God is Great).

Only a few of the locals were aware of the location of the
mosque, as the only access to the area was by foot along the
railway line -- at least 1.5 kilometers from the Maseng Railway
Station.

"Before police arrested people from this village, I often saw
many young men going to the hill on Saturday and returning early
on Sunday," one of the locals said, adding they were believed to
practice Pencak silat martial art in a vacant plot near the
mosque.

A member of Bogor's chapter of the National Mandate Party
(PAN), M. Sani, suspected a certain group intended to spread
rumors to create unrest in the area.

The group was possibly also the one that used AMIN as a
scapegoat to shake up tranquility in the area, he said.

"Why did they choose this village? It's a peaceful village. I
know those who live here. They are kind and sincere people."

Sani, who acknowledged approaching the villagers for campaign
purposes, said he knew residents in the area personally and
strongly believed that police had mistakenly arrested the men.
(emf/jun)