Bombs made from low explosives: Police

Dicky Christanto , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Sat, 07/18/2009 1:52 PM | National

Bombs that went off at two luxurious hotels in Kuningan, Central Jakarta, were made of black powder, a low explosive material, National Police chief spokesman Insp. Gen. Nanan Soekarna said Friday.

Nanan rectified early information saying the bombs that rocked JW Marriot and Ritz Carlton hotels contained high explosive materials.

"Earlier statements on the bomb were made after examining the physical conditions. It was before we examined the field and the bomb," he told a press conference.

"After thorough forensic examination, we found that the bombs were made from low explosives."

In addition to explosive residue, Nanan said police had also managed to study the bomb materials from a bomb found in a laptop case at room No. 1808 of the Ritz Carlton Hotel.

"We find that the bomb in the room is similar with those used to blast the hotels."

While black powder is contained in firecrackers or fireworks commonly used by the public, Nanan refused to reveal other substances used in the bomb mixture as well as who brought them into the hotels.

"We are still on the case, please give us time to examine matters."

A policeman there was a second bomb left for the police to defuse.

"The bomb is still somewhere in a room up in a building in this area," the police officer said under the condition of anonymity.

Commenting on this, an expert on intelligence, Dino Chrisbon, said this time the attacks were well-prepared and might have required lengthy preparation.

"The one who warned us about this attack was actually the late Imam Samudra himself before he was executed last year."

Around two weeks before being executed, Imam Samudra told the public that their executions would not cripple Jamaah Islamiyah (JI). He said his death would only encourage other groups that shared his ideology to attack new targets.

When asked whether right now the JI still possessed bomb experts after Dr Azahari Husin was shot dead in a police raid in Malang, East Java, in 2005, Chrisbon said now JI members did not have to be a master in order to assemble their own homemade explosives.

"With the manual on how to assemble bombs, written by Azahari, in their hands, JI members find no difficulties in making their own bombs," he told The Jakarta Post.

"It takes only two weeks before someone can make homemade bombs. This group is creative in looking for alternative sources to make homemade bombs.

"In the past, JI members scavenged TNT from old World War II bombs found in several waters. They will then get another substance, the RDX, from the black market that originates in North Sulawesi."