Two scientific brains behind the October 12 bombings in Bali, Azahari Husin and Dulmatin, are still at large — and are likely to be prime suspects for yesterday's blast in Jakarta. The pair put together the 1.1-tonne bomb that destroyed Bali's Sari Club. More than 50 members of the Jemaah Islamiah terrorist network have been captured since the Bali blasts, massively disrupting the group's ability to function. But with the two bomb masters still in hiding — and concerns that large quantities of chemicals have not been found — Indonesian police have repeatedly warned that JI still poses a threat. Indeed, several of the alleged Bali bombers, including Amrozi, Imam Samudra and Mukhlas, have trumpeted in recent interviews that more attacks were being planned. In the past two months police have seized large caches of weapons and chemicals. Last night Indonesian officials would not be drawn on whether they believed the bomb was an intimidatory strike, linked to the sentencing tomorrow of Amrozi.
| "Well, we can't really say for sure. Somebody might shoot us..." |
Initial reports suggested a suicide bomber might have triggered the blasts and was possibly sitting in a vehicle near the entrance of the J.W. Marriott Hotel. In the Bali explosion, a teenage JI recruit, Arnasan, parked the L-300 Mitsubishi bomb van outside the Sari Club, and a suicide bomber entered Paddy's Irish Pub. Dr Azahari, a Malaysian-trained university lecturer, is a key member of the JI network, who allegedly attended the first meeting to plan the Bali attacks in February last year, helping to select the target. He is believed to have issued precise instructions on how the bomb was to be made, and also developed the tactic of sending a suicide bomber into Paddy's. With Dulmatin, another experienced bomb-maker and a veteran of guerilla warfare in Afghanistan, he visited Bali several times. Police narrowly missed catching Dulmatin in a raid on June 12, when Idris, a JI logistics expert, was caught in Sumatra. Dulmatin was not recognised as he was sporting a new hairstyle, police sources said. Although other suspects played roles in making the bombs and installing them in the van, Ali Imron, one of the few JI prisoners to have fully co-operated with police, has claimed Dr Azahari and Dulmatin were the key figures. |