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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Karen Lawrence who wrote (52665)	10/17/2002 1:19:52 PM
From: Karen Lawrence	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

Yep, four Indonesians arrested, but used C4 explosives, which are of course Al Qaeda trademarks although they are the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) group Four Indonesians to be arrested over Bali bombing October 16, 2002, 04:01 PM KUTA, Indonesia (AFP) - Four Indonesians being questioned will be formally arrested as suspects in the devastating Bali bombing, as it was revealed the attack was planned with military precision to kill as many people as possible. The developments came as Indonesia and Australia agreed to set up a joint team to track down those responsible for the car bomb blast that killed more than 180 people, many of whom were Australian. The Indonesian government also released a proposed tough anti-terrorism decree that would allow investigators to search homes or other premises of suspects without warrants. Authorities would also be allowed to listen in on private phone conversations and suspects could be held for up to 360 days for questioning. The proposed decree raised fears among human rights and political activists of a possible return to the "state terrorism" under former dictator Suharto, who was deposed in 1997. National police spokesman Brigadier General Saleh Saaf told AFP the four Indonesian suspects had been interrogated for the past two days at a police station in Bali's capital, Denpasar. Saaf said although they had not yet been formally detained as suspects, they were not free to leave the police station unacccompanied. "Once the arrest warrant is out (issued), then we will detain them," he said without giving a timeframe. Details of the four men remained sketchy. Saaf said they were residents of the resort island but not ethnic Balinese. They include two men who Saaf said were either refusing to answer questions or giving contradictory replies. A source close to the inquiry told AFP the bombers used a combination of powerful C4 plastic explosive, linked to previous attacks by Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network, and gas cylinders to maximise the death toll. The source said just before the huge device was detonated a smaller bomb went off outside a bar called the Padi Club in the busy Kuta district in a bid to lure crowds onto the street. The respected Indonesian daily Koran Tempo said police believe eight people staged the attack using two mini-vans -- one containing the bomb which was parked outside the Sari Club and the second to flee. Tempo quoted Indonesian intelligence sources as saying the seven Indonesians and a man from the Middle East had managed to escape from Bali. The Washington Post newspaper said a former air force officer had been detained and confessed to making the bomb. The US daily said the man learned to handle explosives before being discharged from the military. It said he expressed regret for the huge loss of life but had declined to reveal the identity of his paymasters. Meanwhile, Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said after talks with Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri in Jakarta that the united probe team would be formed under a joint anti-terrorism pact signed in February. Western governments have heaped pressure on Megawati to crack down on Islamic groups since the attack, and experts from Australia, Britain, Germany, Japan and the United States are already sifting for clues in the charred wreckage of the Sari Club on Bali. In a message reflecting US impatience with Indonesia for failing to take the terrorist threat seriously enough, Secretary of State Colin Powell said the Bali attack was a sobering experience for Jakarta. "We can now see that you are not exempt from this. You cannot pretend it does not exist in your country," Powell said. "I hope this will reinforce Indonesian determination to deal with this kind of threat." Much anger has focused on Jakarta's failure to act against the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) group, many of whose members have been rounded up in neighbouring Singapore and Malaysia for plotting bombing campaigns. Another four suspected JI members, men aged between 28 and 39, were detained in Malaysia on Wednesday but police there did not draw an immediate link to the Bali bombing. Malaysian police chief Norian Mai said two of the four had received military training in Afghanistan, and one was linked to al-Qaeda, which the JI has been accused of having ties with. JI's alleged spiritual leader, elderly cleric Abu Bakar Bashir, lives freely in Indonesia and has denied links to the Bali attacks, instead blaming the United States. In a bid to address international concern over the nation's inaction, Indonesia's top security minister, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, said his government would prosecute JI leaders if evidence showed they were involved in terrorism. "What is certain is that once there is strong evidence, that there is any early indication that there are Indonesians involved, we will take action," he said after talks with Downer. Most of the victims were foreign tourists, including many Australians, and anger was growing in Australia over why the government had not warned tourists of the terrorist threat on Bali. Prime Minister John Howard admitted that Australia had received US intelligence reports listing tourist sites in Bali as a potential target. "Given the magnitude of what has occurred, I will ask the Inspector General of Intelligence and Security to assess all of the relevant intelligence material and report to me on his findings," Howard told parliament. At least 30 Australians have been confirmed dead with another 140 missing and feared killed in the bombing, which targeted a nightclub known as a hangout for young Australian travellers. The attack claimed victims from some two dozen countries, a number expected to rise as the difficult identification process carried on. Indonesian authorities have collected 182 bodies, but only around 40 have been identified so far. It is believed a majority of the victims will turn out to be Australian, although many Indonesians and Britons were also killed. arabia.com