|
||||||||
  |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Police probe 'three bomb' theory in Bali
BALI, Indonesia -- Police in Indonesia suspect three bombs were used in the deadly attack on two popular nightclubs on the resort island of Bali just over a week ago. Early eyewitness accounts said two bombs ripped through the Kuta nightspots that Saturday night, killing around 180 people, most of them Australians, in the worst single terrorist attack since September 11. Another small blast occurred outside the United States consular office on the island at around the same time, although that explosion caused no injuries. Police at the time said that a smaller blast damaged Paddy's pub seconds before a massive explosion ripped through nearby Sari's nightclub, where most of the damage struck. But after a week-long probe with more than 100 forensic officials from around the world sifting through the wreckage, police now say there is a good chance that three devices were used, one outside Paddy's, and two outside Sari's. Police have not said exactly where the third bomb was located or how it was detonated, but there are indications it went off in tandem with the main car bomb that tore apart Sari's. The Australian Federal Police, who are taking part in the investigation, said in a statement on Monday that it was too early to confirm exactly how many devices were used, but they are "treating this line of enquiry as a priority." No one has claimed responsibility for the blasts, which also injured hundreds of people, but Indonesia and other countries have pointed the finger at al Qaeda and at its suspected Southeast Asian ally, Jemaah Islamiyah (JI). Fertilizer bombAs police investigate a possible third bomb, The Age quoted Australian Federal Police sources as saying they believed one of the explosives was built with ammonium nitrate fertilizer. This contradicted police reports last week that the sophisticated military explosive, C4, was used in what was seen as a well coordinated and carefully designed operation. At a joint news conference over the weekend, Australian and Indonesian investigators also said they were questioning 60 people in Bali as witnesses. They were also checking airline passenger manifests for people who have left but who were present during the event and could be questioned, according to the Associated Press. Witnesses have "provided a number of very useful leads," Brett Swan, spokesman for the Australian investigators told AP, without elaborating. Islamic leaderAuthorities in Indonesia are now considering how to interrogate JI leader Abu Bakar Ba'asyir, who is being held in a hospital in Solo. Ba'asyir, the radical Islamic cleric and head of one of the key groups suspected in the attack, is reportedly too ill for questioning. Ba'asyir was arrested Saturday for a series of church bombings across Indonesia on Christmas Eve 2000, in which 19 people died. He has previously denied involvement in those attacks as well as the Bali bombings -- and insists the CIA invented JI and al-Qaeda as an excuse to persecute Muslims and foment religious violence. Indonesia's president signed a decree on Friday allowing suspects to be detained for up to six months without charge. -- CNN Correspondent Tom Mintier contributed to this report
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
