A failed suicide attack that left no one injured but the perpetrator himself near a police station on Jl. Kalimalang, Duren Sawit, East Jakarta, on Thursday was suspected to be an “act of revenge”, police say.
The suicide bomber, identified as Ahmad, suffered severe wounds to his face and neck. His right leg was broken while his right hand was nearly entirely removed.
Ahmad was reportedly carrying a black bag filled with explosive materials on the back seat of his bicycle, which he walked toward traffic police officer Adj. Comr. Herry Azhari, who was directing heavy traffic.
It appears Ahmad was targeting Herry as the bomb exploded while he was only about one meter behind the policeman.
“After the explosion, I turned around and found a man bleeding profusely with a bicycle on the ground behind me.
“Initially, I thought he was a gas-balloon seller and the explosion was from the gas tubes. But then I noticed there were no tubes equipped on the bike,” a surprised Herry said at Bekasi Police headquarters.
Herry then came to Ahmad’s aid but said the injured man stood up and attempted to leave the scene. “I called my colleagues to arrest him. Well, that wasn’t hard as he could only stagger,” Herry said.
A number of ojek (motorcycle taxi) drivers near the scene also helped the police arrest Ahmad.
Evidence at the scene included white powder, dozens of nails, two matches, a mineral water bottle, a rice pan, plastic ropes, a damaged bicycle, a devastated black bag, and two pieces of paper containing hand-written message.
The full message, written in capital letters using black marker, read, “This is revenge on you, allies of Satan, who have killed, sentenced to death and arrested jihadists. We are ready to die for this noble religion. This martyr’s bomb is for you, infidels. We will hunt you down even if you run to the clouds. Your death is certain. Jihadists are still alive in Indonesia”.
The small nails were allegedly added to the explosive materials as shrapnel. However, even Herry, who was only a meter from the blast, was uninjured. “I only felt a rush of air from behind me. I also found several nails stuck on my uniform. The nails felt like acupuncture,” he said.
Ahmad was brought to the Kramat Jati Police Hospital in East Jakarta.
“We hope he can get well soon so we will be able to question him,” Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Boy Rafli Amar said.
National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Iskandar Hasan, meanwhile, said that the bombing should be considered a warning for the force.
“From the letter, we can assume they are targeting us. This is a clear indication that terrorist groups exist in the country,” he told reporters at the National Police headquarters.
Noor Huda Ismail, a terrorism expert, doubted Ahmad belonged to any existing terrorist groups.
“He is like a ‘lone wolf’. He has been radicalized himself. A ‘lone wolf’ usually improvises to find his attack targets without links to any terrorist network,” Noor Huda said.
Nasir Abbas, a former member of Jamaah Islamiyah, however, said that it was too soon to conclude
Ahmad’s links.
“Small bombs are common to terrorism because they’re easier to assemble and carry,” he said. (ipa)
