ANTARA News - Police said Pepi Fernando, the alleged mastermind behind book bomb parcels and the bomb terror in Serpong recently had once joined the Indonesia Islamic State (NII) movement.

"Pepi joined NII in 1998 but then he dropped out," National Police head of public information Senior Commissioner Boy Rafli Amar said here on Wednesday.

Pepi graduated from state Syarif Hidayatullah Islamic University in Ciputat in 2001 majoring in Islamic education.

The husband of Deni Carmelita was born in Sukabumi on December 10, 1979. "He worked as a book and film script writer," he said.

Police believed Pepi was the mastermind behind the bombing plan near Christ Cathedral in Summarecon Gading Serpong, Tangerang, in the Banten province, West Java. "Pepi is good at assembling bombs," he said.

Police arrested Pepi in Aceh last Thursday (April 21) along with two other suspects involved in his cell namely Hendi Suhartono and Muhammad Fadil.

Police discovered explosive materials when searching his house in Harapan Indah housing complex in Bekasi, West Java, last Saturday (April 23).

Boy said other items found there were a hand grenade, explosives mixtures, rocket-like bomb casings and ready-made bomb casings, five can bombs incuding one that was ready to use, explosive materials that had been processed, a welding device, an iron bar and two clocks.(*) (H-YH/HAJM/a014)