Police name terrorist suspects in Jakarta bombing plot

National Police spokesperson Insp. Gen. Boy Rafli Amar said the police had named seven suspects during their investigation into a recent discovery of active explosive bombs in Bekasi, West Java, on Saturday.

"As of today, seven people have been named suspects, including the alleged bomb assembler who was arrested in Ngawi, East Java," he said in Bandung on Monday.

Boy further said the police had also arrested another bomb assembler and a woman. She was suspected to have been prepared for a suicide bombing mission.

Boy said all of those suspects were part of a terrorist network led by Bahrun Naim, who was suspected by the police to have orchestrated terror attacks on Jl. M. H. Thamrin in Jakarta in January. They were also suspected to be part of a terror network behind a suicide bomb attack at the Surakarta Police headquarters in July, he further said.

"Thus, these terror cells had direct contacts with Bahrun. They operated in several cities. They belonged to a terror cell in Surakarta, Central Java. They had planned a terror attack, in which Bekasi was just a transit area before they moved to their main target area, Jakarta," said Boy, adding that all suspects had been brought to Jakarta for a further investigation.

Earlier, National Police chief Gen. Tito Karnavian said the terrorist group in the Bekasi terror attack plan was comprised of six people who coordinated directly with Bahrun. It was believed he was still in Syria. Nur Solihin, a terror suspect arrested by personnel of the police's Densus 88 counterterrorism squad at his home in Kampung Griyan, Laweyan, Surakarta, Central Java, was the leader of the small group, Tito said.

"They prepared bombs that they learned to assemble on the internet. For the mission, Bahrun provided funds he sent via banks. Nur's second wife, the woman arrested, was prepared as 'the bride'," said Tito, using terminology that references a suicide bombing perpetrator.

They learned to make a high explosive bomb using a pressurized cooker with the security post at the State Palace in Jakarta as their main target, Tito added. (ebf)

Source: Police name terrorist suspects in Jakarta bombing plot