The Sydney Morning Herald, October 12, 2005
Bali bombing suspect arrested
By Mark Forbes in Denpasar
[PHOTO: Tight security ... Bali bomber Imam Samudra is removed from Kerobakan
prison. Protesters want him executed. Photo: Reuters.]
A terrorist suspect allegedly connected to the October 1 Bali bombings is being
interrogated by Indonesian police, in what appears to be a significant breakthrough in
the investigation.
Australian Federal Police forensic experts sealed off a house in Denpasar yesterday
afternoon, apparently on information received from the man, named only as Hasan.
The bombers are believed to have stayed at the house in the weeks before the
attacks, leaving on the morning of the blasts.
Hasan was arrested in the East Java town of Jember on Sunday night, police
spokesman Brigadier-General Sunarko Artanto said. He was flown to Bali in the early
hours of Monday.
"He is being interrogated," said Brigadier-General Sunarko. "Based on his information
we have searched an area in Denpasar."
Hasan's arrest was based on information from several of the 259 witnesses
interviewed, he said. If Hasan is involved, it would be the first significant breakthrough
in the investigation into the attacks by three suicide bombers that killed 20 other
people.
Local media reports suggested Hasan had identified a Denpasar boarding house
where the three bombers and another man lived before the bombings.
There were unconfirmed reports that Hasan had stayed with the men, but returned to
Jember three days before the attack. Neighbours told the Herald the three left on the
morning of the blasts and have not been seen since.
When questioned about Hasan's role, General Sunarko said: "It's all under
investigation."
Yesterday police smuggled out of Bali the three men sentenced to death for their part
in the 2002 bombings, concerned that angry locals demanding their execution might
storm Kerobokan prison.
The trio, Ali Gufron (alias Mukhlas), Imam Samudra and Amrozi were ushered into a
large armoured van amid tight security. They were rushed to Denpasar Airport in a
police convoy and placed on a charter flight to the high-security Nusakambangan
island prison off West Java.
A large demonstration was expected at the prison today, the third anniversary of the
bombings, which killed 202 people.
The latest bombs have outraged locals, who have demanded the death sentences be
carried out. A provincial Government spokesman, Gede Rata, said the three were
transferred for "security reasons and overcrowded capacity".
General Sunarko said Hasan was being held in "a secure location in Denpasar".
Police sent a team to East Java to arrest Hasan, described as a construction worker,
as a result of the testimonies of several witnesses, he said.
Police have seven days to question him before deciding if he will be charged.
General Sunarko refused to say if Hasan had any direct links to the blast. He is
believed to be 45, and is reported to have worked in Malaysia four years ago.
The Herald visited the boarding house off Jalan Nangka Selatan, where neighbours
said they were not sure if the men could have been the bombers. Local media outlets
reported other neighbours saying they recognised one of the occupants from
photographs of the bombers' severed heads.
Copyright © 2005. The Sydney Morning Herald.
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