The Australian, October 03, 2005
All the hallmarks of a JI strike
Sian Powell and John Kerin
POLICE in Australia and Indonesia will focus their investigation into Saturday's Bali
bombings on Jemaah Islamiah amid evidence the attacks bore similarities to the
feared terrorist group's assault on the Australian embassy last year.
Police confirmed the Bali attacks were the work of three suicide bombers wearing
vests filled with explosives and ball-bearings to cause maximum damage, similar to
shrapnel-filled bomb vests worn by four embassy bombers who were arrested in Java
last year.
The similarity firmed suspicions that the new Bali attacks were the work of Asia's
most-wanted extremists, Azahari Husin and Noordin Top of Jemaah Islamiah.
Indonesian senior anti-terrorism official General Ansyaad Mbai said yesterday the
bombings were suicide attacks.
"In each of three places a head and a set of legs was found, without a body," he said,
adding the nature of the remains suggested explosives vests. "We are still waiting for
the results of the investigation into the explosives."
General Mbai said it was likely two of the suicide bombers were walking on Jimbaran
beach, alongside open-air seafood restaurants, when they detonated their explosives
vests.
The third bomber took a different route. "In Kuta it's thought that he went into the
restaurant," General Mbai said.
Australian Federal Police Commissioner Mick Keelty said the bombings had not been
linked to JI but they had all of the group's hallmarks. He said the AFP had sent a
28-strong team to Jakarta to assist with the investigation. It would be helping identify
the types of explosives and with victim identification.
"(Our role will be) to identify the type of explosive that's been used and ... whether
they're suicide vests, the origin of those vests, the type of material that's been used in
the bomb to try and determine the origins of that and how widely available that is," Mr
Keelty said.
Sidney Jones, Southeast Asian director of the International Crisis Group, said it was
likely the three bombers were Azahari and Top recruits.
"We had heard there was a new super-secret special forces unit that was being put
together and attracting very young people from Jemaah Islamiah and other
organisations," she said. "This could be their first operation."
The four militants they recruited to help in the Australian embassy attack in Jakarta
last November were wearing vests filled with bullets and shrapnel with detonator cords
ready to be pulled when police caught them.
Azahari and Top were central to Indonesia's three most recent terrorist attacks: the
2002 Bali bombings, which killed 202 people, including 88 Australians, the 2003 blast
at Jakarta's Marriott hotel and the bombing of the Australian embassy. All three
attacks involved suicide bombers.
JI and other Indonesian extremist groups rarely claim credit for attacks, although Bali
bomber Imam Samudra said on a website the attacks were his handiwork.
Ms Jones, known for her research into JI and other networks, said while the blasts
were in their style, Azahari and Top were not the only JI militants at large.
Along with identification of the remains of the bombers, forensic investigation will
probably provide the most clues, Ms Jones said, and police would likely begin with
the type of explosives used and work backwards from there.
"The wiring (of the devices) might also give a clue if it's Azahari's work," she said.
The police forensic laboratory in Bali confirmed tests were under way to determine the
nature of the explosives.
Mr Keelty agreed the modus operandi of the weekend blasts was similar to that used
by JI.
"Bali is considered quite a softer target than other parts of Indonesia. We'd certainly
been aware of threats within Jakarta but nobody was aware of any threats in Bali."
© The Australian
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