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| Southeast Asia |
| Farmers May be Linked to Bali Bombings |
| 2002-10-25 |
| Police have arrested two suspects in connection with the October 12 bomb blast that took place outside the Philippine Consulate in Manado, North Sumatra, and believe the attack is linked to the devastating Bali bombings. That'd be a pretty good guess... A homemade bomb exploded at the consulate’s gate a few hours before the blasts in Bali killed almost 200 people. The Associated Press reported Thursday that two suspects in the consulate bombing, both Muslim farmers, were taken into custody during a raid in Manado. The two had been seen fleeing the site moments after the explosion. Police reportedly found a bomb-making location, explosives and ammunition. Traces of a "black powder compound" on the clothing of the suspects matched a compound found at the blast site. Which blast site? Thought the Bali blast was C4? That's rather more powerful than black powder... A Philippine government report said Indonesian authorities were comparing blood samples from the suspects with bloodstains on the consulate wall. It’s believed the bomb might have detonated prematurely, injuring one of the suspects. "Huh huh! This is so neat! We're gonna kill lotsa infidels... Ow!... Cheeze, that hurts!... Is that my elbow over there?" The report said Indonesian criminal and forensic police investigators agree the suspects were used as "pawns" by Muslim radicals based in either Poso, Central Sulawesi, or Central Java. "Hello? LeGume? This is Professor Moriarty, up in Sulawesi. Get me a couple pawns for a nefarious scheme!" One of the Manado bombers was reportedly paid Rp1 million ($112) to plant the explosive device at the consulate. "Hokay, Boss! How much you want to spend on on this bombing spree?" "$112." Poso, the scene of deadly religious violence between Muslims and Christians since 1999, has been hit by a spate of unexplained bombings over recent months. "Duh. The place is swarming with turbans and there's bombings all over the place. I just can't explain it..." Central Java is the base of most of Indonesia’s radical Islamic groups, including the Indonesian Mujahidin Council, led by Abu Bakar Bashir, who is also the alleged spiritual leader of the Jemaah Islamiyah group, which has been linked to Osama bin Laden’s Al-Qaeda network and blamed for the Bali bombings. But it couldn't be them... |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |