Indon police: Manado consulate bombing not a terrorist attack

Indonesian authorities are convinced that the bombing of the Philippine consulate in the town of Manado in Indonesia’s North Sulawesi last Oct. 12 was not a terror attack and not linked to the coinciding car bomb attack in Bali that killed at least 190 people.

This was announced by Inspector General Made Mangku Pastika, deputy chief of the criminal investigation division of the Indonesian national police, during the last day of the International Conference on Anti-Terrorism and Tourism Recovery in Makati City yesterday.

Pastika said that initial investigation showed the Philippine consulate might have been caught in the fight between Filipino businessmen and Indonesians over gold mining in the region.

"The dispute is between locals and Filipino businessmen over gold mining," Pastika said. "There were no connections between the Bali and Manado bombings."

The bomb attack in Manado, which preceeded the blasts in Indonesia’s popular tourist district in Bali by a few hours, was initially thought to be the handiwork of terrorists to sow fear and confusion in the region.

The other day, however, Pastika announced the arrest of five suspects in the Bali bombing incidents and admitted that a prime suspect, a mechanic named Amrozi, may have planned to enter the Philippines with a possible terrorist companion to link up with their connections in the country.

Two one-way plane tickets to Manado dated Nov. 7 were found at the residence of Amrozi when he was arrested in East Java last Nov. 5.

"Manado, the northern capital city of Sulawesi," said Pastika, "is very close to the Philippines so we suspect that there is a link."

Amrozi has been undergoing interrogation since his arrest.