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Related: Indonesian president orders immediate probe
into Palu bombing
More deaths from Palu blast reported in
Indonesia
JAKARTA, Dec. 31 (Xinhuanet) -- Indonesia's Central
Sulawesi provincial Police Chief Brig. Gen. Oegroseno confirmed Saturday
afternoon that police have arrested a man believed to have something to do with
the morning's bomb blast in Palu that killed seven people and injured 47 others.
Asked whether the bombing was linked to the planned
execution of three locals sentenced to death for provoking sectarian riots in
Poso some time ago, Oegroseno replied in the negative. "Our thinking does not go
that far," Indonesia Metro TV Station reported.
The Poso District Court in Central Sulawesi last
April 5 passed the death sentence on the three suspects for allegedly provoking
the masses in the Poso riots in 2000.
The three were considered to have committed serious
crimes by provoking people to get involved in the conflict which claimed
thousands of lives in May-June 2000.
Saturday's blast came from a low-explosive device
planted near a meat kiosk in Maesa subdistrict, south of Palu, at 7:05 a.m.
local time.
Police has cordoned off a wide area, around the kiosk
to facilitate a ground-scouring operation led personally by the provincial
police chief.
Oegroseno said police had found another hand-made
bomb about four meters from where the blast occurred.
Meanwhile, presidential spokesman Andi Mallarangeng
said President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was informed about the bombing by
National Police Chief Gen. Sutanto.
He said the President denounced the bombing and asked
coordinating minister for political, legal and security affairs as well as the
National Police Chief to investigate the case thoroughly and take care of all
the victims.
"The president also conveyed his condolences to the
families of the victims," he added.
Deputy spokesman of the National Police Headquarters
Senior Commissioner Anton Bachrul Alam said, the perpetrators of the Palu
bombing were people intent on keeping perpetuating insecurity in Indonesia.
Meanwhile, The National Police Headquarters has sent
a detective team to Palu to reinforce the Central Sulawesi Police team
investigating the bomb blast.
"We sent a team from the Detective and Crimes Unit
(Bareskrim) this morning and they will directly help the ongoing investigation,"
Antara news agency quoted National Police Headquarters spokesman Inspector
General Paulus Purwoko as saying.
The team will go directly to the site to conduct
further examinations, he said.
The police has identified the death victims. They are
Bambang Wiyono Saputra (50), Yakulina Tana (45), Agustina Mande (37), Yoppie
(42) and his wife Meisye (39) whose meat kiosk was damaged by the explosion and
Sgt. Tasman Lahansang (a member of the Intelligence Unit of the Tadulako
District Army Command) and his wife whose identity remained unclear.
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