A day after twin bombs hit luxury hotels in Kuningan, South Jakarta, police detectives said that they were still busy collecting clues and evidence and could not yet announce who was responsible for the barbaric attacks, which killed nine people, including two suspected suicide bombers.

Several field officers admitted that they had not made any significant progress in the investigation.

“All I know is that right now we’re a bit stuck in our investigation. I hope this is not for long,” a field officer, who requested anonymity, told journalists Saturday.

Another officer, from the antiterrorism detachment unit, also acknowledged that things had progressed rather slowly on Saturday.

An officer assigned to the presidential detail voiced similar concerns.  

Yudhoyono was scheduled to brief the press upon visiting the site of the bombings on Saturday, but left without speaking publicly.

National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Nanan Sukarna said, “there are indications that the explosives used in Friday’s bombings are similar to those found in Cilacap and those used in the Bali bombings,” lending credibility to the theory that the attacks were purpotrated by the Jamaah Islamiyah terror network.

“But, that’s what we found in the field. We are still trying to piece together the whole puzzle,” Nanan said.

Densus 88, the National Police counterterrorism squad, uncovered bomb-making materials in the backyard of a house belonging to fugitive terror suspect Bahrudin, in Pasuruan village, Cilacap, Central Java, earlier this month. Police personnel found sulfur powder, wires wrapped in plastic and a number of books and VCDs about jihad in the search, according to a witness.

Rumors are also circulating that the Rp 15 billion (US$1.5 million) robbery of an armored van on a Jakarta toll road last week was the work of the terrorists, seeking money for the families of the two suicide bombers.

The police have reportedly apprehended Abdul Mubalik, the driver of the van who is expected to have been involved in the robbery, in Serang, Banten. Abdul fled with the robbers after the incident.

Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Chrysnanda confirmed several suspects have been arrested in connection with the robbery but did not confirm whether the robbery was used to fund Friday’s terrorist attacks.

Meanwhile, Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo said he had instructed all of Jakarta’s majors, district and subdistrict heads, as well as community unit (RW) and neighborhood unit (RT) chiefs to remain alert in order to detect the possible terrorist safe houses.

“I have told all of them, I can not accept any excuse for them not being on stand-by, round the clock. This is very crucial. They must regularly check their own residents within their areas,” Fauzi said.

Fauzi said that his actions were aimed at helping the police find suspects possibly involved with the bombings as well as any locations they might have used as safe houses.

The perpetrators of the 2003 Marriott bombing moved from one rented house to another to avoid police detection as they planned and prepared for their attacks. (bbs)

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