Two people were taken in for questioning today in connection with the Bali suicide bombings on Saturday as a nationwide hunt focused on known militants.
Bali police chief Made Mangku Pastika told reporters two people were being questioned in connection with the bombings at beach restaurants, which killed 22 people and wounded 135.
Heading the list of those being sought are Malaysians Azahari bin Husin and Noordin Top, fugitive leaders of the al-Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiah network.
Azahari bin Husin is believed to be a key member of the Jemaah Islamiah network
Police say the group was behind the first Bali bombings in 2002, which killed 202 people, and that Azahari and Top helped plan. They are also believed to be responsible for subsequent deadly attacks on a luxury hotel and an embassy in Jakarta.
A police spokesman today said Azahari and Top were prime targets of the hunt. "Our original plan from the beginning is chasing these two masterminds. After the recent incidents our hunt for them has been stepped up," he said.
But he could not confirm there was evidence linking the two men to the latest blasts and police have admitted they have no definite leads.
There were no immediate claims of responsibility for the blasts. And jailed cleric Abu Bakar Bashir, believed to be the spiritual leader of JI today condemned the weekend blasts, saying innocent people had died. But he said the attacks were a warning from Allah.
"I very much disagree with any bombings, regardless of the reasons, in safe areas which are aimed at sacrificing the innocent," Mr Bashir said. "I am sorry for the bombing victims, who essentially know nothing, especially the Muslims."
His lawyer said the cleric had not been visited by police or questioned in relation to the latest blasts. Bashir was sentenced to 30 months in jail in March for involvement in a conspiracy to carry out the 2002 Bali nightclub bombings that killed 202 people, mostly foreign tourists. The sentence was later reduced by 135 days in an annual prisoner remission scheme.
Official and private terrorism experts say the tactics used in the weekend attacks, including the use of suicide bombers as in other major attacks, are among the reasons they suspect the Malaysians.
They also point to the co-ordination of the timing and selection of the attack sites as evidence of extensive advance planning and involvement by Jemaah Islamiah or a similar group.