Indonesia Police Arrest Two More Bali Suspects

14/01/2003| IslamWeb

Indonesian police said Tuesday they have arrested two more Bali bomb suspects, one of whom they said had parked a van that exploded outside a bar packed with foreign tourists. Edi Darnadi, deputy chief of the investigating team, told reporters the suspects were caught on a remote islet near Kalimantan, the Indonesian side of Borneo island, Monday. "We caught the two suspects on the small islet of Berukang off (the East Kalimantan capital of) Samarinda. They were Ali Imron, alias Alik, and Mubarok, alias Hutomo Pamungkas," he told a news conference in Bali.

Three bombs exploded on the holiday island at almost the same time on October 12. At least 191 people were killed.

Most of the victims were killed by the exploding minivan that had been parked outside a crowded night club on the island's popular Kuta beach strip.

I Made Mangku Pastika, the team's chief investigator, told Reuters that Imron was the suspect who parked the minivan in front of the Sari Club. Imron had admitted his involvement in the attack, he said.

"In a preliminary interrogation, he confessed his role as the one who brought the car," Pastika said.

The Bali bombing was the most devastating terror attack after the September 11 attacks in the United States that killed about 3,000 people.

Police said Mubarok, the other suspect arrested, was involved in gold-shop robberies that they said were one of the sources of the funds for the bombing.

Darnadi said Mubarok "held the funds from the robberies."

He said that before apprehending the two, authorities picked up nine others who gave them information that led to the arrests.

Imron is the younger brother of Amrozi, the first suspect arrested over the bombings and who is also expected to be the first to take the stand when trials over the bombings start, probably next month.

Police gave prosecutors a 1,623-page dossier against Amrozi last week but Darnadi said there was a plan to send it back for more information.

"We're waiting for that dossier. It's better for them to return it now so that police can complete the parts which don't sufficiently meet with legal needs. This is normal," he said.

Under Indonesia's legal system, prosecutors usually decide if there is enough evidence to go to court, which sets a trial date. Officials have said the bombing trials would likely be held on Bali.

Police have arrested more than 20 Indonesians for links to the attack. Many have ties to Jemaah Islamiah, a regional network of militant Muslims linked to Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda group.

PHOTO CAPTION

Bali bombings suspects Ali Imron, left, and Mubarak are shown in these police handout photos released in Denpasar, Bali, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2003. The two key suspects in the Oct. 12 Bali bombings have been arrested Monday on Berukan island as they tried to flee the country, police said. (AP Photo/Police Handout)