Suspected bomb found in Poso

POSO. The Poso Police’s bomb squad detonated a bomb found in a black backpack that had been placed in front of a house in Poso, Central Sulawesi, on Monday. The incident came amid the intensification of the hunt for Indonesia's terror fugitive Santoso, suspected to be hiding out in the area.

Local people told thejakartapost.com that a silver Toyota Avanza car stopped in front of the house of M. Rundubelo in Kawua subdistrict, Poso, at around 10:30 a.m., on Sunday. At the same time, another car, an L-300, also stopped near the location.

"Suddenly, a passenger got out of the L-300 and put a bag on the side of the road. He then moved into the Avanza and left," Kawua resident Nova Riatimogi told thejakartapost.com on Sunday.

Another resident named Sugeng Rundubelo said that he saw two people get out of the L-300 car, one of them wearing a white cap and the other one wearing a white undershirt.

A few hours later, Poso Police's bomb squad arrived to handle the possible bomb.

The police have yet to deliver a statement on the incident.

The National Police and the Indonesian Military (TNI) are hunting Santoso, alias Abu Wardah, the country's most wanted terrorist, in the forested areas around Poso. Santoso and his 45 followers of the East Indonesia Mujahidin terrorist group are believed to be hiding in the forests where they hold military training camps and arrange attacks against the police. (Ruslan Sangadji)