National

Police Hunt Members of Imam Samudra’s Network
Wednesday, 05 October, 2005 | 23:27 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Serang, West Java:The police in various regions in Indonesia are hunting people and searching places suspected of being connected with the perpetrators of the Jimbaran and Kuta bombings on Bali.

Amongst those being pursued are five members of the network of Imam Samudra, one of those convicted for the Bali bombing in October 2002.

These five people are Bantenese and have disappeared following the acts of terrorism on Saturday (1/10).

“These five people, who were once arrested for their involvement in the network of Imam Samudra, have disappeared from their residences,” stated Banten Police chief Badrodin Haiti on Tuesday (04/10).

Haiti declined to reveal their names.

The hunt for the group behind the first Bali bombing is also being carried out by the Central Java police.

“I’m convinced that there must be a connection with the old terrorist network,” said Central Java Police chief Chaerul Rasjid on Tuesday (04/10).

“We will increase our efforts in hunting down these people and carry out searches as necessary,” stated Rasjid.

Although Chaerul did not mention the areas to be searched, Surakarta Police chief High Commissioner Abdul Madjid suspects two areas in his region, Wonogiri and Klaten, of being hiding places for these people.

“The link to the bombers is in these two areas,” Madjid stated yesterday.

Muklas aka Ali Gufron, one of those convicted in the 2002 Bali bombing and who has been sentenced to death, was arrested in Klaten.

Madjid denied that the police would investigate the involvement of the Al Mukmin Muslim School in Ngruki, Sukoharjo, despite this Muslim boarding school once being connected to the previous bombing incident.

“Ngruki is purely an educational institution,” Madjid insisted.

A TEMPO source in the Surakarta Police acknowledged that he was trying to find out the network and contacts of the suicide bombers because,” One of the suicide bombers once lived and studied in Surakarta.”

Sragen Police have searched Toyota Kijang, Suzuki Karimun and Isuzu Panther vehicles that crossed the borders between Central Java and East Java.

“The searches have been carried out 24 hours a day following the incidents in Jimbaran and Kuta. We have been instructed to carry out the searches until October 7,” said Sragen Police chief Comm. Yudha Gustawan.

In Denpasar, Bali Police are to question those convicted of the 2002 Bali bombing as to whether or not they identify photos of the Jimbaran and Kuta bombers.

Krobokan penitentiary, which is where the convicted are being detained, was yesterday under strict guard.

West Nusa Tenggara Police are strictly guarding ports of entry to the island, such as Lembar port in West Lombok (heading to Padangbai) and Karangasem.
(Tim Koran Tempo)