The police in Indonesia have arrested two more key suspects in the bombing that killed almost 200 people on the resort island of Bali last October. There are now 17 suspects are now in custody.
Indonesian police say they have arrested Ali Imron, a man they say played a key role in the car bomb attack on the island of Bali. A second man, named Mubarak, also was arrested and is accused of handling some of the financial arrangements for the gang that planted the bomb.
The gang members killed nearly 200 people with a car bomb planted outside a crowded dance club on October 12. The majority of the dead were young Western tourists. The two men were picked up Monday with 11 others on a remote island off the coast of Borneo. Police said Tuesday they think the two were planning to flee to Malaysia or the Philippines.
Ali Imron is the third member of his family to be arrested in connection with the bombing. His brother Ali Gufron, who is also known as Mukhlas, allegedly is one of the masterminds of the plot and a senior member of the regional terrorist organization Jemaah Islamiyah. Another brother, Amrozi, has admitted to buying much of the explosives and the minivan used in the bombing.
Ali Imron is suspected of taking the van to Bali with his brother Amrozi.
Seventeen people have so far been arrested in connection with the bombing. The police have handed over a 1,600 page dossier on Amrozi to prosecutors and his trial is expected to begin next month.
The Indonesian police have won widespread praise for the speed with which they have rounded up what seem to be the principal players in the bomb plot.
Amrozi has allegedly told police that the bomb was set in revenge for perceived maltreatment of Muslims by the West.
