National

Bali Bombing Planned in June 2005
Friday, 14 October, 2005 | 23:31 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta:The bombing in Jimbaran and Kuta, Bali, on Saturday (01/10) was assumed to have been planned in June 2005. According to the TEMPO source at the Central Java Police, the meetings about the bomb took place four times. All these sessions were held in Central Java. “The preliminary meeting was held in Surakarta and was finalized in the region of Magelang,” said the source on Thursday (13/10).

At first, the source said, the bomb was to be exploded in the region of Surakarta on the same day as the National Police anniversary on July 1, 2005. The political tension during the election of regional head was used as a momentum. “Approaching July 1, 2005, Surakarta was on the high alert status,” the source stated.

According to the source, the masterminds of the bombings are still the same people, that is Noor Din M. Top and Dr. Azahari. “They became some kind of supervisors. Technical matters, including the fund raising and personnel recruitment, are no longer carried out by them,” he said.

Local police have refused to confirm this information. Surakarta Police Chief High Comm. Abdul Madjid, who is usually open in giving statements, refused to go any further with the information.

Previously, a high-ranking officer at National Police headquarters (HQ) said that the bombs that killed 23 people early this month in Bali were assembled in Solo (Koran Tempo, 13/10). The bombs were put together a month before the incident. The officer did not mention the exact location of the assembling. He only mentioned the border areas of Central and East Java. “Some other parts were assembled in Solo,” he said.

National Police headquarters said on Thursday (13/10) through its spokesman that police have made further arrests in Cilegon, Banten. “Two people have been arrested in Banten and questioned for seven days,” said National Police headquarters (HQ) spokesman deputy chairman Brig. Gen. Soenarko in Denpasar on Thursday (13/10). Soenarko did not go into detail concerning the result of the investigation.

Soenarko also denied that the police have confirmed the suicide bomber’s name is Yanto. “Up to now, the identification process is yet to be final. The information network still is working to confirm this,” Soenarko stated.

Yanto’s name appeared as the police received a report from residents on Nangka Street, Nuri III Alley, Denpasar who saw the similarity between one of the bombers and the man who had been in the area. This name was then told to three occupants of a rented house, who suddenly disappeared just before the bombing and never returned. The three men, that are still being pursued by the police, are Gatot, Rohim and Samsul.

In Jember, East Java, after releasing Hasan, who previously was assumed to be related to the suicide bombers, the police have requested information from three people in Mayang sub-district-- Samsul Arifin, Samsul Hadi and Ilham Wahyudi. Bali Police along with local police requested information from Suryono, 45, a citizen of Puger sub-district. There is yet to be any clear information on the result of the interrogation. (Imron Rosyid/Rofiqi Hasan/Mahbub Djunaidy-Tempo News Room)