Paras Indonesia, 11, 11 2005 @ 10:57 pm
Police Uncover Bali Bombers' Video Message
Roy Tupai
A videotaped message from the three suicide bombers who killed themselves and 20
other people in last month's terror attacks in Bali has been found at the Central Java
hideout of fugitive Malaysian terrorist Noordin Mohammad Top.
National Police chief General Sutanto on Friday (11/11/05) said police also found the
identity cards of two of the bombers at the rented house in Semarang, the capital of
Central Java province.
"The significant material evidence found included the ID cards of two suspects, Salik
Firdaus and Misno. The identity of the third is not yet known," he was quoted as
saying by detikcom online news portal.
The discovery was made on Wednesday, the same day that police shot dead
Noordin's accomplice, Malaysian bomb-maker Azahari Husin, during a raid on the
latter's hideout in Batu, East Java.
Azahari and Noordin have been blamed for a series of deadly terror attacks in
Indonesia, including the October 1 suicide bombings, in which the three attackers
walked into busy cafes and detonated backpacks laden with explosives.
Salik was apparently the bomber at Nyoman Cafe, while Misno hit the nearby Menega
Cafe, both in the beachside area of Jimbaran. The third man bombed Raja's
Restaurant and Bar in Kuta.
Sutanto said the raid on Noordin's hideout uncovered four tapes, which included
instructions for making bombs and plans for the Bali bombings.
He said the suicide bombers had stated their willingness to die and condemned the
West, especially the US, as well as Muslim clerics they felt are deviating from correct
Islamic teachings.
It is apparently the first time that Indonesian bombers have made video messages
prior to attacks.
The police chief said the bombers were seated and unarmed when they made their
farewell messages in a mixture of Indonesian and Arabic. "There was a taped video of
the three bombers before they carried out their suicide [mission], talking about their
belief, arguing it's permissible to attack targets deemed as obstructing injustice," he
was quoted as saying by Reuters.
"There was one message to their families, saying they were ready to die and that
soon they will be in heaven. They looked very adamant with the teaching they had
received... They showed no traces of doubt."
Police have not yet made the videotape public, but Sutanto said it would be shown to
Islamic leaders, so they could help to counter the false teaching that entry to heaven
can be gained through suicide bombings.
"This is important input to public figures and religious figures, so they will be able to
explain that this kind of teaching is wrong. It's not true that suicide and killings give
entry to heaven," he was quoted as saying by detikcom.
Three Deadly Bullet Wounds
National Police spokesman Sunarko Ardanto on Friday revealed that Azahari was
shot three times in the chest before he had a chance to blow himself up during
Wednesday's raid. "Azahari was shot before he was able to pull the trigger of his
bomb [vest]," he said after police doctors in Jakarta conducted autopsy on the
deceased.
Azahari's family has requested that his body be sent to Malaysia for burial.
Sunarko said that although it is the family's right to bury the deceased, police do not
yet have any plans to send the body to Malaysia as many procedures and formalities
must be fulfilled first. He did not elaborate, apart from saying the Malaysian
ambassador would be involved.
Foreign Affairs Minister Hassan Wirajuda said the Malaysian government was yet to
make a formal request for the handover of the body. "Through diplomatic channels, we
have not received any request," he was quoted as saying by state news agency
Antara.
But he said Indonesia was likely to comply once a request is made. "It would be no
use keeping the body in Indonesia… We will surely consider it if there is a request."
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