Indonesian police have released photos of the remains of
three men believed to be the suicide bombers responsible for the explosions in Bali
which killed at least 25 people and wounded 122 others, reports ABC Online.
The photos show the heads and body
parts of three young, “clean-shaven” Asian men. “We have reached a conclusion that they were suicide
bombings,” Bali police chief Made Mangku Pastika
told a news conference. “There is evidence that the explosive materials were
attached to the body,” he said, adding that the composition of the bombs
included TNT and metal slugs.
Two
Malaysians accused of orchestrating the bombings in Bali three years ago are suspected of
having a hand in this latest terrorist attack, reports The Age. And Indonesian
authorities believe terror group Jemaah Islamiah (JI) orchestrated the blasts. Prime
Minister John Howard has said the bombings were undoubtedly the work of terrorists
trying to undermine democracy in Indonesia. “If in
the process you can kill and maim and frighten Westerners, including
Australians, then that is regarded as something of a bonus as far as the
terrorists are concerned,” he told the Nine Network.
Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer has confirmed
two Australians are among the dead, while two other Australians are missing,
presumed dead. Sixteen-year-old Brendan Fitzgerald from Busselton in Western
Australia and Jennifer Williamson, 48, from Newcastle
in New South Wales were killed in
the attacks. Downer says seven Australians were also “very
seriously” injured in the suicide bombings, with five flown to Singapore
for medical treatment, and 12 are now in a Darwin
hospital.
Meanwhile, the Herald Sun reports that Bali
police are investigating an SMS message, received by an Indonesian man dining at one of the
bomb sites, which said in Indonesian: “The bomb detonator has been set up.
Don’t mess with the cables.” Officers have interviewed the man – who was dining with a group of 126 international securities
dealers visiting from Jakarta – and taken the
phone and message, which is understood to have included the number from which the
message was sent.
And as the federal government reasserts travel warnings against Australians visiting Bali, Perth
advertising executive Mick Colliss – who was in Bali for
a rugby 10s competition with mates – has told Southern Cross Radio that a friend with contacts in the “Bali
mafia” warned him and other friends on Thursday to stay away from Kuta on
Saturday night, reportsThe Sydney Morning Herald. And The Agereports thatIndonesian
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono warned in late August of the likelihood of
terrorist strikes in the weeks leading up to the Muslim holiday of Ramadan, which
begins this month.
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