Tourist video shows horror

2005-10-03 08:28

Kuta - The video images are grainy but the effect is chilling.

A man in a black T-shirt calmly crosses the Raja restaurant in Bali, where friends and family are eating, drinking and chatting away, enjoying a festive Saturday night out.

He walks back toward the kitchen - and then comes the boom of an explosion.

And then there are screams and panic.

Indonesian police showed the footage to reporters on Sunday but declined to identify the man who shot the video.

But the images of one of the three bombings that ripped through Bali, killing at least 19 people and wounding more than 120 in all, provided a glimpse into the work of those who kill themselves in order to kill others.

Authorities probing type of device

"This is a suicide bombing," Bali police chief I Made Mangku Pastika said. "I'm certain there are others involved in this bombing. There are those who planned it, there were those making the arrangements, those preparing the bombs," Pastika said. "Those are the ones we must search for."

He said at least three people helped the bombers carry out their attacks but didn't explain one of the many questions now facing police - why the bomb set off in the Raja did not do more damage.

The bomber walked past tables with dozens of diners unaware of what was to come, went to the back of the room and entered the kitchen, which was screened off from the dining room by a chest-high partition.

Suddenly the bomber - who appears to be carrying a backpack - is engulfed in a blinding flash and explodes in a ball of fire.

Only one other person was killed at the restaurant. Police didn't name the victim but friends of waiter Wayan Sudik said they had identified his body.

Pastika said authorities were probing whether the device was operated by a timer or set off by the suspect himself.

"We are investigating how the explosion took place," he said.

Head found 25m from body

The video shown to reporters was edited and the faces of the cameraman's party were obscured by police, who did not indicate what happened to the group other than to say that the cameraman's arm was injured.

But some of the wounded from the blasts are known to have been pierced by ball bearings which the bombers apparently packed into their bombs to inflict maximum pain and injury.

Police later showed pictures of the severed heads of the three men believed behind the blasts in Kuta and Jimbaran, and said one of the heads was found 25m from its body.

The heads were intact and the country's top counter-terrorism official, Ansyaad Mbai, said they appeared to belong to Indonesians.

- AFP