Bali terrorist suspect shows how bombs were made

11.45am - By KATHY MARKS

Like a travelling salesman showing off his wares, one of the chief suspects in the Bali terrorist attack proudly demonstrated yesterday how the bombs that blew up two nightclubs were assembled.

Ali Imron, arrested last month on a small island off Borneo, was the star of a bizarre press conference held at police headquarters in the Balinese capital, Denpasar. Clad in a blue prison uniform and holding a microphone, Imron strolled nonchalantly around the room, displaying replicas of explosives, fuses and detonators.

At one point he donned a vest packed with eight mock pipe bombs, to show how one of his associates set off a small explosion in Paddy's Bar shortly before the main blast at the Sari nightclub in Kuta Beach.

The press conference was staged by police in an attempt to convince a sceptical public that a group of Indonesian men arrested following last October's attack had the expertise to plan and carry it out without foreign assistance. Many Indonesians were initially unwilling to believe that their compatriots were responsible for the atrocity. Imron claimed that he felt sorry for the victims of the bombs, which claimed 192 lives.

"I am remorseful," he said. "In my heart I regret this and I beg forgiveness from the families of the victims in Indonesia and foreign countries. Our (bomb-making) capabilities as Indonesians are something to be proud of, but they were used for a wrong purpose."

The bombs have been blamed on Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), a Southeast Asian terrorist group believed to have links with the global al Qaeda network. Several of the 17 men so far arrested have a close association with JI. Many of those in custody have allegedly confessed to their roles in the attack, and trials are due to start in Denpasar next month.

Imron, who said he learnt his bomb-making skills while fighting with the Mujahideen against Soviet forces in Afghanistan, showed reporters how the group built the bomb left in a minivan outside the Sari Club. He said it took eight days to assemble, weighed over a ton and consisted of a mixture of potassium, chlorate, sulphur and aluminium powder.

The "suicide vest" featured pipe bombs with explosives connected to a detonator switch. It was allegedly worn by one of the terrorists when he blew himself up in Paddy's Bar.

At the press conference, which was broadcast live on Indonesian television and subsequently repeated on all networks, Imron said the bombers were motivated by hatred of the United States. The aim was to wage a holy war, he said, and they chose Bali because they thought it was a popular holiday destination for Americans.

"Our target was America and its allies because they are international terrorists," he said.

Police say Imron helped to assemble the bombs and drove the minivan to an area close to the scene. Two of his brothers, both in custody, are also key suspects. Amrozi is suspected of buying the explosives and driving the van to Bali from neighbouring Java, while Mukhlas is believed to be a prominent figure in JI.

Imron admitted yesterday to being a follower of Abu Bakar Bashir, the radical Muslim cleric regarded as JI's spiritual leader. But he said he was not following Bashir's orders in Bali.

- INDEPENDENT