Indonesian police on Wednesday released sketches of three suspects — including one possibly linked to al-Qaida — who allegedly planted bombs that destroyed two nightclubs in Bali and killed nearly 200 people.
Police spokesman Col. Prasetyo said the men are Indonesians aged 20 to 30. He said detectives have identified one man, but refused to release his name.
"We interviewed foreign and Indonesian witnesses who saw these three people at the scene," Prasetyo said. "We have strong indications that the three were involved in bombings."
Maj. Gen. Made Mangku Pastika, who heads the investigation, described the three as "field operators" who may have died in the blast along with scores of other unidentified victims.
He also said there could be as many as 10 other suspects in the case. But he said it was too early to say if the three suspects were linked to any international terrorist network.
Defense Minister Matori Abdul Djalil told the state-run Antara news agency, however, that police had evidence suggesting one of the three was linked to al-Qaida. He said the evidence came from the scene, including the van that carried the bomb and a motorbike one of the suspects may have used, Antara reported.
Matori could not be reached for comment.
The release of the sketches was the first indication that the investigation into the terrorist attack was moving forward. Investigators previously had said they had no suspects.
The sketches will be published in Indonesia and posted worldwide by Interpol.
Police released details of the men's height, weight, facial features and hair length. They also offered some unique features such as "sleepy eyes," a "pot belly" and "pouty lips."
But they did not provide further details such as hometowns or occupations.
Pastika told reporters Tuesday that investigators believe that one of the three men had assembled the bombs.
Meanwhile, police doctors said they will conduct more medical tests on Abu Bakar Bashir, an ailing Muslim cleric who is suspected of being the spiritual leader of Jemaah Islamiyah, a regional terrorist network that has been blamed for the Bali attack.
Jemaah Islamiyah was added last week to a U.N. list of groups linked to the al-Qaida network.
Doctors said Bashir, who is being treated at a police hospital in Jakarta, will be ready for questioning by the end of the week.
Bashir is not officially a suspect in the Bali bombing. Police have accused him of ordering a string of church bombings in 2000 that killed 19 people and plotting the assassination of President Megawati Sukarnoputri. Bashir denies any wrongdoing.
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