Would-be bus bombers 'from new group'

Yuli Tri Suwarni, The Jakarta Post, Bandung

Police suspect that a man who is believed to have stashed boxes full of explosives in an intercity bus on Friday was not part of a group recruited by fugitives Azahari bin Husin and Noordin Moh. Top.

West Java Police chief Insp. Gen. Edi Darnadi said on Saturday that their suspicion was based on the differences in the explosives being used.

He said that the 13 kilograms of explosive material discovered in nine cylinders on Friday contained potassium chlorate, sulfur, charcoal, iron that contained an oxidator, and a detonator.

Although one of the cylinders, which was already wired to a detonator, made a rumbling explosive noise when detonated by the police antiterror squad, Edi said the materials were not considered to be high explosives.

"Such materials are commonly used (to attack) public places. The assembly was quite simple, but it still requires people who know a lot about explosives," he said.

Edi said such explosives were found in the conflict-torn area of Ambon in Maluku province.

The police on Saturday issued a sketch of the suspect (shown below), issuing it to the mass media as well as distributing it to police personnel.

The suspect is around 160 cm tall, 25 to 30 years of age, has an oval-shaped face, thin lips, short hair and brown skin.

Police said the suspect had boarded the Mekar Jaya bus at the Guntir bus terminal in Garut wearing a cream-colored shirt and trousers made from a dark fabric.

Edi said the way the suspect used public transport convinced the police that he was not one of Azahari's followers, who used cars.

The explosives were not attached to detonators to prevent them from possibly exploding before reaching the destination.

"It seemed that the perpetrators did not want to risk being caught using private vehicles. That's why they used a public bus where passengers can easily get on and off.

"It would be difficult for people to know who the owner is if the boxes are minded by different people who get on and off at designated spots, before being handed to the final receiver at the Cicaheum terminal," said Edi.

The Mekar Jaya bus driver, Udin Syaefuddin, said he had dropped off three men in Cinunuk, around two kilometers from the Cibiru traffic circle where the bus was intercepted by the police on Friday.

Edi said the police had been able to trace the explosives through intelligence reports over the past month, and by tailing several suspicious groups of people.

Police have been sifting West Java trying to find two Malaysian bomb experts, Azahari and Noordin Top, who have been accused of orchestrating bomb attacks in the country over the past few years.

Edi said the West Java police, who suspect that the group planned to create public unrest ahead of the Christmas and New Year celebrations, are beefing up security at 472 churches, 156 night entertainment spots, 114 recreational locations, 82 supermarkets, 72 foreign establishments, and 230 hotels in West Java.

Around 5,000 personnel will also be deployed to back 10,664 police personnel on guard.