Indonesia and Australia agreed today to set up a joint team to catch the Bali bombers, as it was revealed the attack was planned with military precision to kill as many people as possible.
Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said after talks with Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri in Jakarta that the team would be formed under a joint anti-terrorism pact signed in February.
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Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer announced a joint team would be set up to catch the Bali bombers.
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Al-Qaeda and its local allies have been blamed for Saturday's bombing, which left more than 180 people - many of them Australian - dead, and Australian ministers said they were determined to hunt down the culprits.
Investigators say they are questioning two Indonesian men who may be key witnesses. Indonesian police confirmed they were questioning a former air force officer but denied he had admitted building the bomb.
"There is no admission of anything from a former member of the air force," national police spokesman Brigadier General Saleh Saaf said.
"What is happening is that the police are currently questioning a former member of the air force who has the skill to assemble bombs. That is all."
A source close to the inquiry told AFP the bombers used a combination of powerful C4 plastic explosive, linked to previous al-Qaeda attacks, and gas cylinders to maximise the death toll.
The source said just before the huge device was detonated a smaller bomb went off outside a bar called the Padi Club in the busy Kuta district in a bid to lure crowds onto the street.
The respected Indonesian daily Koran Temposaid police believe eight people staged the attack using two mini-vans - one containing the bomb which was parked outside the Sari Club and the second to flee.
Indonesia has been criticised by the United States and Australia for failing to take the terrorist threat seriously enough, and in a message reflecting US impatience, Secretary of State Colin Powell said the Bali attack was a sobering experience for Jakarta.
Four suspected members of the Jemaah Islamiyah group, men aged between 28 and 39, were detained in Malaysia today but police there did not draw an immediate link to the Bali bombing.
Australian Prime Minister John Howard admitted today that Australia had received US intelligence reports listing tourist sites in Bali as a potential target.
"Given the magnitude of what has occurred, I will ask the Inspector General of Intelligence and Security to assess all of the relevant intelligence material and report to me on his findings," Howard told parliament.
At least 30 Australians have been confirmed dead with another 140 missing and feared killed in the bombing, which targeted a nightclub known as a hangout for young Australian travellers
Ten Britons have been confirmed dead, with another seven deaths unconfirmed. Twelve Britons are still missing. Two Irish citizens were injured in the attack.
Indonesian authorities have collected 182 bodies, but only around 40 have been identified so far. It is believed a majority of the victims will turn out to be Australian.
AFP