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| Down Under |
| Bali bomb code |
| 2006-04-26 |
| CHILLING documents seized from the men involved in the second Bali bombing reveal an intricate conspiracy, where secret codes were used to plot the murder of innocent Westerners. The terrorists used seemingly innocent words to hide their evil intent – with one of the bombs being called the "cosmetic box", while Jemaah Islamiah mastermind Noordin Top was referred to as "Mommy". Details of the October 1, 2005, attacks – which killed 20 people, four of them Australians, plus the three suicide bombers – were contained in handwritten notes at the scenes of the bombings and in the hiding places of those now in custody. The notes tell how JI members travelled to Bali to survey potential targets before reporting back to JI's master bombmaker Azahari Husin. They checked nightclubs, temples, shopping areas, sports venues, fast food outlets, souvenir shops and the airport. They then decided that Jimbaran Bay, the eventual scene of two attacks, was a good target because "Inshallah" _ God Willing – "I predict that there will be at least 300 people there." Also targeted was a restaurant in the heart of Kuta. They took note of incoming tourist flights – especially from Australia – and used codewords to mask their conversations in internet chatrooms. Their reward for this act of murder would be entry to heaven for the bombers and 70 of their relatives. The triple bombings last year were the second JI attack in Bali to claim Australian lives. On October 12, 2002, near-simultaneous blasts at two Kuta bars killed 202 people, including 88 Australians. The dossiers also detail the role of JI's supreme bombmaker and the man dubbed "Demolition Man", Dr Azahari, in the second Bali bombing. Moh Cholily, one of the four awaiting trial in Bali, said he was with Dr Azahari when they heard news of the carnage on BBC Radio. Dr Azahari had shouted, "Allahu Akbar" ("God is Greatest") and "Our project was a success," he said. Cholily, who was being tutored in the skills of bomb construction by Dr Azahari, was arrested one month later. It was he who led police to the East Java safe house where Asia's most wanted man was hiding. At the time of his arrest Cholily was carrying a bomb in his bag, which was to be delivered to another JI operative. The indictment for another of the four, Anif Solchanudin, 24, says he was prepared mentally and physically to commit an act of "Istimata", or suicide mission. The survey team noted that Jimbaran was an easy target because there was virtually no security, the bombers could pretend to be admiring the sunset, and 80 per cent of those there would be "Bule", or westerners. The dossier also includes questions and answers on which the survey team was to report. They were asked about appropriate dress for the suicide bombers, so as to blend in with the crowd, and the best times for the bombs to go off. The survey team was also responsible for reporting on security measures that could thwart them bringing the backpacks and bombs from Java to Bali on a bus and ferry. The results suited them. They found that, at the harbour checkpoint to Bali, it was easy to slip through using fake identity cards and they could leave their backpacks on the bus and no one would ask to check. Security, they said, was "very relaxed". Transportation to the restaurants was also canvassed and it was decided it was better for the bombers not to catch taxis because the driver might insist on lifting the backpacks into the car and thus become suspicious of their unusual weight. Instead they opted for motorcycles called "ojek". Most chilling of all is a detailed instruction sheet of exactly what the bombers should do in the lead-up to the moment they would enter heaven. It included the time they should stop to conduct their Maghrib, or evening prayers, the times they should board the ojeks and the exact minutes at which they should activate the timing device and switches. |
| Posted by:tipper |