Indonesian President Yudhoyono orders probe on parcel bomb incidents

[News_Editor]

Indonesian President Yudhoyono orders probe on parcel bomb incidents

2011-03-17 03:39:09 GMT+7 (ICT)

JAKARTA, INDONESIA (BNO NEWS) -- Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Wednesday ordered the national police to conduct a thorough probe on Tuesday's parcel bomb incident, Antara news agency reported.

"The police have been asked by the President to immediately investigate the case until the perpetrators have been caught," said Julian Pasha, the presidential spokesperson.

Pasha added that the Indonesian leader commanded the national police to ensure that bombing attacks such as the one in eastern Jakarta would not happen again in the future.

On Tuesday, a bomb parcel exploded in Utan Kayu, East Jakarta. The explosive device was sent to the local KBR 68H Radio News Agency and was addressed to the agency's chief Gories Mere.

The explosive package delivered hidden inside a hollowed out book. A police officer attempted to defuse the parcel bomb with his bare hand after pouring cold water on it. However, the bomb exploded blowing off the policeman's hand at his wrist.

Another explosive package was located at the National Narcotics Agency (BNN) office in Jakarta. The bomb was delivered by an unidentified man but a police bomb squad managed to deactivate it before it exploded.

A third parcel bomb was sent to Ulil Abshar Abdalla, chairman of the Liberal Islam Network, in Utan Kayu. The device exploded while a team of policemen was trying to defuse it; three police officers were severely injured.

The three bombs were hidden in the same way. Presidwent Yudhoyono commanded Jakarta police to increase efforts to combat this new bombing modus operandi that were witnessed in the eastern region of the Indonesian capital city.

Jakarta Police Chief Inspector General Sutarman said that the safety and security measures around the crime scenes were increased. He added that the bombing victims were being treated at Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital.

Sutarman also announced that he will personally overlook the progress of the investigation ordered by President Yudhoyono. His spokesperson, Baharudin Djafar, said due to the importance of the case, the police chief decided to handle the case himself.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-03-17