JAKARTA, 15 August 2003 — Prime suspects wanted for the Bali bombings are also believed to have been involved in the Marriott hotel blast in Jakarta last week, Indonesia’s top detective said yesterday.
Erwin Mappaseng told reporters that a man called Hambali — believed to be Al-Qaeda’s pointman in Southeast Asia — and suspected Bali bomb-makers Dulmatin and Azahari were among those being hunted for the hotel car bombing.
It was the strongest confirmation so far that the Bali attack which killed 202 people last October is directly linked to the Aug. 5 hotel blast which killed 12 people.
Officials have blamed the Al-Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) terror group for both attacks and for a series of other bloody bombings in recent years.
Mappaseng named some of the people being sought for the Marriott bombing as Hambali, Dulmatin, Umar Patek, Azahari, Noordin Mohd Top and Zulkarnaen -- all of them also involved in the Bali attack.
He also mentioned another Marriott suspect called Tohir, who had been hunted “for some time now”.
Police have already confirmed that a head and other body parts found at the scene of the Marriott bombing belonged to a JI member identified as Asmar Latin Sani, 28.
Mappaseng said yesterday that Asmar had driven the van that exploded when a security guard halted it in the hotel driveway.
Security Minister Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono announced plans to review an anti-terror law passed in the wake of the Bali bombings to make it more effective in preventing attacks.
“It will need a thorough review and we will do it as soon as possible,” he told reporters after meeting top security and legal officials.
“We cannot wait because terrorism is a real threat and we should not be in a weak position.”
Yudhoyono said the meeting also called for a “reorganization” of the duties of the armed forces and the police — apparently to give the military a greater role in internal security.
“There has been a long-standing impression that internal security matters are the responsibility of the police,” he said. “Frankly, this is not in line with the constitution.” He said the meeting also called for more money to tackle security threats. All the proposals would be taken to Cabinet next week.
The United States, Australia, Britain and Indonesia itself have all warned of possible repeat attacks. Eleven of the 12 people killed at the Marriott were Indonesians but the hotel was seen as an American symbol.
Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said yesterday said there could be a strike against Westerners in Jakarta tied to the Aug. 17 National Day celebrations.
National police chief Dai Bachtiar said police anticipated further attacks “but we aren’t talking about a specific date or place.”
