The Jakarta Post, March 06, 2007
Maluku Police identify two bombing suspects
M. Azis Tunny, The Jakarta Post, Ambon
The Maluku Police are hunting down two men believed to be responsible for the
explosion of a handmade bomb that injured 13 people in Ambon's Yos Sudarso Port
on Saturday.
Maluku Police spokesman Adj. Sr. Comr. Tomy W. Napitupulu said Monday that the
testimonies of 18 witnesses had led them to suspect the men.
A reconstruction of the explosion at the crime scene was conducted on Monday,
involving all witnesses who were around the scene before and after the incident and
the victims.
"Testimony from witnesses lead us to two men," Tomy said.
Witnesses said that two unidentified men placed a package under a cold drink box
belonging to a sidewalk vendor.
"We've learned of the two men's identities and we'll hunt them down. So far we have
named the two as possible suspects," Tomy said.
The police are currently unwilling to identify the motive behind the explosion or to
relate it to previous terror attacks in the area. Ambon was rocked by a sectarian
conflict that reached its peak in 2001, before a peace deal returned the town to calm.
"We're still investigating and haven't come to a conclusion just yet," Tomy said.
The bomb, made from low-grade explosives, injured 13 residents, two of them
seriously, and damaged 10 motorcycles.
A preliminary investigation by the Maluku Police bomb squad found that the package
containing the bomb included a coil, battery and timer, along with dozens of
10-centimeter long nails and scraps of metal.
Most of the victims were sidewalk traders and motorcycle taxi drivers, who had
gathered at the port following the arrival of the KM Siguntang passenger ship.
By Monday, however, most residents were back to their usual routines, with public
areas like the Mardika bus terminal, Batumerah market and shopping centers bustling
with visitors.
Earlier Monday, the residents were shocked with the finding of a package believed as
a handmade bomb near Ambon Plaza shopping center. The police's bomb squad then
secured the package and found out it was simply comprising iron scraps.
All contents copyright © of The Jakarta Post.
|
