The Age [Australia], December 23 2002
Christmas terror alert
By Tom Hyland, Foreign Editor, Jakarta
While Indonesia braces for a feared new wave of terrorism over Christmas, suspects in
the Bali bombing have been flown to Java for police re-enactments of planning
meetings that led to the October atrocity.
The eight suspects, all of them handcuffed and two wearing ski-masks, were flown out
of Bali amid tight security on Saturday for a series of re-enactments over the
weekend, a standard procedure in police investigations here.
The reconstructions brought brothers Amrozi and Mukhlas together in public for the
first time, their smiles an unsettling reminder of Amrozi's jocular public confession in
early November.
As a result of the re-enactments, police released the name of another man suspected
of helping plan the bombing and said there was growing evidence to link the attack
with the detained Muslim extremist Abu Bakar Bashir.
The re-enactments came as the Australian embassy in Jakarta renewed its travel
advice to Australians, warning that threats against Australians in Indonesia remain
high amid fears of terrorist attacks over Christmas and the new year.
Indonesian authorities are reported to have mobilised thousands of troops and police
over Christmas in anticipation of possible attacks on churches, particularly on
Christmas Eve.
Foreign and local authorities fear a repeat of Christmas 2000, when Christian
churches were hit in a wave of attacks that killed 19 people across the country. The
fears have been heightened since the Bali bombings and a more recent bombing in
Makassar. "Threats against Australians and Australian interests in Indonesia remain
high given possible terrorist action and civil disorder, particularly over Christmas and
New Year period," the Australian embassy warned.
It repeated its advice that Australians consider deferring non-essential travel to
Indonesia and said Australians living here should exercise "extreme caution" in places
frequented by foreigners.
Similar advice was issued by the American and British embassies on Friday. The US
embassy warned its citizens that the potential for new bombings was "particularly
high" during Christmas and the new year.
The British embassy warned that the arrest of Bashir and the possible arrest of other
extremists "could lead to a strong reaction from their supporters".
Bashir remains under police detention in Jakarta for his alleged involvement in the
2000 bombings. Up till now he has not been accused of direct involvement in the Bali
bombings, but suspects in that attack have been linked to the 2000 incidents.
The weekend's re-enactments were staged first on Saturday in Solo, Central Java, at
two houses the suspects rented. Similar re-enactments were being held yesterday in
Lamongan, East Java, near where Amrozi and Mukhlas lived. Later, they were to be
taken to a chemical shop in Surabaya, East Java, where Amrozi allegedly bought
materials used in the bombings.
Other suspects involved in the re-enactments included Imam Samudra, the alleged
field commander of the bombings. Police said the re-enactments showed how
Samudra had conducted the second of two meetings to assign tasks to bombers.
The suspects wore blue shirts with "prisoner" written on the back. They were chained
at the ankles and handcuffed.
Chief investigator Inspector General Made Mangku Pastika said the emergence of the
name Zulkarnaen, the new suspect, who remains at large, was perhaps the most
important thing to come from the reconstructions.
He told news agency AFP Zulkarnaen was commander of Askari Islamiah, a
little-known militia linked to the Jemaah Islamiah extremist network, headed by
Bashir. Investigators had suspected Zulkarnaen was involved but had not been named,
General Pastika said.
Brigadier-General Edward Aritonang, spokesman for the investigative team, told the
Jakarta Post that police now had prima facie evidence to link the Bali blasts with
Jemaah Islamiah and Bashir who has been accused of plotting to kill President
Megawati Sukarnoputri, and with involvement in the Christmas 2000 bombings.
The bombs cost $US30,000 ($A53,000) to assemble, but tourism officials in Bali have
revealed that the attack left a $US2 billion hole in the island's economy. Last month,
57 per cent fewer people visited Bali, compared with 2001.
Authorities are subsequently looking at ways to curb travel bans and to encourage
governments to develop more coherent travel advisory systems.
Copyright © 2002 The Age Company Ltd
|
