DNA Found in Bali Linked to Man in Bombing

DNA found at the site of the Oct. 12 Bali blasts indicates that the explosions killed a man who participated in the plot, the chief investigator said today.

Imam Samudra, the suspected ringleader in the blasts, had told police that a man named Iqbal detonated a bomb inside his backpack at Paddy’s bar, the first of three near-simultaneous explosions that killed 191 people. His statement has fed fears that terrorists are adopting suicide tactics not previously seen in Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim nation.

Police said last month that they were collecting DNA from Iqbal’s relatives to see whether it matched DNA found at the site.

“Iqbal has been confirmed as the suicide bomber,” said police Gen. I Made Mangku Pastika, the chief investigator in the blasts. “This must be a concern for the government since it’s a new method.”

Despite Pastika’s remarks, it remains possible that Iqbal blew himself up accidentally or that co-conspirators rigged the device to kill him on purpose.

Authorities have blamed the attack on an Al Qaeda-linked group, Jemaah Islamiah.