LAKSAMANA.Net, June 11, 2005 01:00 AM
Police Deny Engineering Bombing
Laksamana.Net - National Police chief General Dai Bachtiar has rejected allegations
that his force engineered a recent bomb blast in Pamulang, west of Jakarta, in an
effort to discredit a radical Muslim cleric.
"For the very reason that we now happen to be in a general state of alertness against
terror bombings, the Pamulang incident has indeed raised many questions. Therefore,
the allegations [of police having engineered the blast] are baseless," he was quoted
as saying Friday (10/6/05) by state news agency Antara.
He said police could not possibly have done something that would create public
anxiety or confusion.
A low-explosive bomb exploded early Wednesday in the front yard of Muslim cleric
Abu Jibril's rented house in Pamulang. The explosion occurred while Jibril was at a
nearby mosque and caused no injuries.
Police, who so far have no suspects in the case, questioned Jibril as a witness for
four hours after the bombing. They also seized his laptop computer, as well as several
documents, photos and films to investigate whether he has any links to terror groups.
Jibril and his associates have suggested the US might have carried out the bombing
in an effort to discredit their struggle to implement Islamic law in Indonesia.
One of Jibril's lawyers from the Muslim Defense Team, Akhmad Cholid, has reportedly
accused police of engineering the bombing in order to confiscate the cleric's
personnel possessions.
Jibril is an associate of radical cleric Abu Bakar Baasyir, who is accused by Western
governments of leading Jemaah Islamiyah. Baasyir is presently serving a 30-month jail
sentence for involvement in the conspiracy behind the October 2002 Bali nightclub
bombings that killed 202 people.
The US State Department in 2003 described Jibril as Jemaah Islamiyah's "primary
recruiter and second in command".
Jibril is a member of Baasyir's Indonesian Mujahidin Council (MMI), which campaigns
for the implementation of strict Islamic law in secular Indonesia. MMI is currently
chaired by Jibril's older brother Irfan S. Awwas.
Malaysian authorities arrested Jibril in 2001 during a crackdown on Jemaah Islamiyah
and local militant organization Kumpulan Militan Malaysia. He was detained for two
years under Malaysia's tough Internal Security Act on suspicion of links to terrorism
and then held for almost another year for immigration violations.
He was deported to Indonesia in May 2004 and immediately arrested on suspicion of
immigration violations and involvement in several bombings in Indonesia. Prosecutors
later dropped the terrorism charges due to a lack of evidence. In October the cleric
was sentenced to five months and 15 days in jail for falsifying his identity to obtain a
passport from the Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur in 1999. He was soon
released as he had spent most of the duration of his sentence in jail while awaiting
trial.
Bachtiar said police had confiscated some of Jibril's possessions in an effort to find
out whether the bomb had come from outside or inside his house. "If his things show
no indications of any link between Jibril and the bombing, we will return the goods," he
said.
He said police were also investigating whether certain parties were seeking to exploit
warnings and fears of terrorist bombings. "Anybody who has heard about the
Pamulang bombing will definitely be inclined to say 'why, is it really happening'."
Australia Issues New Warning
The Australian government on Friday warned that terrorists are in the "very advanced
stages" of planning attacks in Indonesia.
"We continue to receive a stream of credible reporting suggesting that terrorists are in
the very advanced stages of planning attacks in Indonesia," the Australian Foreign
Affairs Ministry said in an updated travel advisory.
"Attacks could occur at any time, anywhere in Indonesia and could be directed at any
locations known to be frequented by foreigners," it said.
"Recent credible reporting suggests that international hotels frequented by
Westerners in Jakarta are being targeted in current terrorist planning. Public
statements by the Indonesian National Police (POLRI) that security has been
increased at a number of Jakarta hotels due to the potential for terrorist attack
underline that international hotels are a target. This follows a POLRI warning of May
2005 about possible further suicide bombings in Jakarta, identifying as potential
targets other places frequented by foreigners, in particular embassies, international
schools, office buildings and shopping malls."
The Indonesian Foreign Ministry said it understands Australia's reasons for issuing
the new travel warning and would not respond by issuing a similar advisory against
travel to Australia, despite a recent security scare at the Indonesian Embassy in
Canberra.
"They [the Australian government] have the responsibility to ensure the safety of their
people. And that is one thing we can understand and respect," ministry spokesman
Marty Natalegawa was quoted as saying by Antara.
Nevertheless, he said there had been insufficient communication between Canberra
and Jakarta before the warning was issued. "We always hope that a foreign
representative office will build good communication with the Indonesian government,
our Foreign Ministry or police if a foreign government intends to issue such an
intensified travel warning," he added.
Natalegawa emphasized that Indonesia did not view the Australian warning as an
unfriendly act. "We don`t see it as an unfriendly act but merely as an indication of the
way in which Australia is looking at objective conditions in Indonesia," he said.
President Visits Tentena Victims
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Friday made a brief visit to the Indonesian
Christian University (UKI) Hospital in Cawang, East Jakarta, where six people injured
in the May 28 bombings in the Central Sulawesi town of Tentena are still being
treated.
During his 35-minute visit, the president spoke with the victims of the attack, which
killed 21 people and injured more than 40 others.
The six being treated at UKI Hospital were identified by Antara as Eko Lalengko (26),
Marlin Mira (46), Stenly Badilo (19), Ronald (18), Tius Maligo (39) and Osin.
Yudhoyono said the government was doing its best to help the victims of the
bombings, while security forces were continuing to hunt down the perpetrators.
Police have so far arrested 18 suspects over the bombings. Non-governmental
organizations have speculated the attack was masterminded by local officials in an
effort to divert attention from a corruption case involving the embezzlement of funds
intended for victims of religious violence in Central Sulawesi.
VP Urges Public to Help Find Bombers
Vice President Jusuf Kalla on Friday said the public must join the fight against
terrorism because fugitive bombers are living freely in certain "friendly" neighborhoods.
The two most wanted terror suspects in Indonesia are Malaysian citizens Azahari
Husin and Noordin Mohammad Top. Police have said the pair played key roles in the
October 2002 Bali nightclub bombings that killed 202 people, the August 2003
bombing at Jakarta's JW Marriott Hotel that killed 12 people, and the September 2004
blast outside the Australian Embassy that killed 11 people.
"Dr Azahari turns out to have frequently lived in residential areas. If he lives next door
and one of his bombs explodes... you will be the victim," Kalla was quoted as saying
by Antara.
He said it was high time for the government to involve the public in the search for terror
suspects. Regulations requiring all guests to report to their neighborhood unit chiefs
must be revived and fully implemented, he added.
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