Farouk Arnaz – A lucky turn of events appeared to have led police to the timely discovery of the plan to blow up a church and weapons warehouse in Serpong, Tangerang.
According to police, P., a graduate from Syarif Hidayatullah Islamic University (UIN), accompanied by a friend, surveyed a gas pipeline in the area. The site was familiar, as P. had gone fishing at a nearby river several times before.
According to antiterrorism sources, P. and his group were particularly interested in the pipeline's proximity to the Christ Cathedral and an Army weapons warehouse.
On Palm Sunday, five small pipe bombs weighing a kilogram each and two massive backpack bombs weighing around 100 kilograms apiece were rigged underneath the pipeline. Each bomb had a timer installed, set to go off at 9 a.m. on Good Friday. The idea was that the gas pipeline would create a much bigger explosion that would blow up the church and the weapons cache.
"They had prepared to film the bombing of the church and broadcast it. That was their plan," said Insp. Gen. Anton Bachrul Alam, National Police spokesman, according to the Associated Press.
It seemed like a solid plan, police said, except P. and his team were amateurs. Ultimately, however, it was a coincidence that led to their timely arrest.
Firstly, two of the pipe bombs went off prematurely on Monday. Unfortunately, no one reported the explosions as, according to antiterrorism sources, they were likely small and may not have caused obvious damage.
Then on Thursday, Jakarta Police Chief Insp. Gen. Sutarman leaked to the media that five suspects had been identified in the relation to the book bomb attacks, forcing the antiterrorism squad to arrest the 19 suspects they had been investigating for the past two weeks.
The arrests turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as P. bragged about the existence of the bombs, which he said were created "based on Internet sites."
When members of the bomb squad found the explosives, a police source said, P. even challenged them to dismantle his creation. But police said the amateurs were let down by their work: one bomb's cable was connected to the wrong side.