Bali bombing anniversary: Suicide bomb theory was met with opposition

WARNING: This story contains graphic details that may be distressing to some readers.

I was deployed to Bali with a small team of crime scene examiners on October 15, 2002.

My role as the forensic chemist was to set up a field laboratory for processing potential evidence, so that useful and reliable information could be given to police early in their investigations, that is, when they needed it most.

This deployment was the first time a mobile forensic laboratory had been sent overseas by any country.

We arrived at night and it was hot, steamy with everything seeming strange.

At the hotel we were met by colleagues who were busy establishing the police Forward Command Post. They worked with discipline and purpose in an ambience of nervous anticipation.

Early next morning I made my first foray into the nightclub district behind Kuta beach.

Although there were people milling around it was eerily quiet and the ever-present smell of fire and ash pervaded.

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The streets were narrow and congested with burnt out vehicles.

The scene seemed huge with buildings all around showing signs of fire and disruptive damage.

It was difficult to gain a sense of orientation in an unfamiliar streetscape. The heat and humidity felt oppressive and we all felt overwhelmed.

As guests in another country, we were mindful of showing respect to our Indonesian colleagues.

Evidence can be hard to spot, and trace evidence is particularly ephemeral in the tropics.

It soon became apparent that this incident comprised three separate scenes. Something had happened inside Paddy's Bar, a major blast had occurred in the street outside the Sari Club, and a small device had functioned near the US embassy in the nearby suburb of Renon.

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The Indonesian police were focussing their attention on the major blast site outside the Sari Club, and we were allowed access to the lesser sites.

Our training and experience has taught us to work on the "GIFT" principle, ie "Get It First Time". So, items of interest were collected from the outset.

On the concrete kerbside at Renon was a small crater where concrete had been shattered into sand by a process known as 'brisance'. This only occurs with high explosives.

Pieces of plastic were collected which turned out to be the shattered remains of a mobile phone, and soot from the crater was analysed and found to contain traces of TNT.

The first time I entered Paddy's Bar I was met by a chaotic scene. The upper level was extensively fire damaged, but downstairs was not.

Furniture, shoes and items of personal apparel were strewn across the floor. It resembled a 'mosh pit' but secreted amongst the debris were two small lengths of mono-core copper wire.

They appeared distorted and heat damaged which are tell-tale signs of explosives. Fine copper wire in electronic devices is usually multi-stranded. What we had here were the leg wires of a detonator.

Although the floor was a mess, marks on the ceiling above had captured the moment the incident occurred. All that was required was interpretation.

There were the grey sooty deposits of TNT and the brown spatter of human remains.

Importantly, there was no crater in the concrete floor, as would be expected if high explosive had been in contact.

The trajectory of the spatter marks came from a point 1.2 metres above the floor. These were the first observations to indicate the involvement of a suicide bomber.

From the outset there was strong opposition against the suggestion that terrorists were involved, probably for political and economic reasons.

However, as the weeks of painstaking scientific effort passed, more compelling evidence was uncovered and opposition faded.

Many things happened during the decade that followed the first bombings, and the conclusion for me was to travel to Jakarta to give evidence, in person, relating to Umar Patek.

When I reflect on this case and other bombings that ensued, at a professional level, I think of all the challenges that had to be overcome.

There were difficult and uncomfortable moments, but common purpose against adversary has its rewards.

I appreciate the selfless manner of all the people who assisted their fellows at the scene and during the investigation. The professionalism and commitment of my colleagues was outstanding in every respect.

On a personal level, sadness for the relatives of the victims can be overwhelming, and is beautifully captured in the Bali memorial at Coogee Beach in Sydney.

The renowned author, Liz Porter, has recorded an accurate description of the forensic response in Operation Alliance in her book Crime Scene Asia.

David Royds is among the current and former AFP members who are featured on a new podcast, Operation Alliance: 2002 Bali Bombings, which relives one of the most significant moments in Australia's history.

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