JAKARTA ~ A new cache of bombmaking chemicals has been discovered as part of ongoing investigations into the July 17 suicide attacks against luxury hotels in Jakarta, police said on Thursday.

Police spokesman Sulistyo Ishak said the chemicals were found on Wednesday in a rented warehouse in Bogor, West Java, and could be linked to the terror network of Malaysian extremist Noordin Mohammed Top.

“The materials are being investigated by Detachment 88 counterterrorism police to find out whether they’re similar to those used by Noordin Top’s network,” he said.

“We can’t tell you now what they were going to use this for, such as where and which target.”

He said the identity of the man who rented the warehouse on a short-term basis was unknown, but local residents who tipped off police said he bore a resemblance to one of Noordin’s accomplices.

“Some said he looked like one of the group members,” Ishak said.