INDONESIA: A bomb exploded near a fast-food restaurant at Jakarta's main airport yesterday morning, wounding at least 11 people. Indonesia's security chief said the attack could be linked to trials of militant suspects.
The blast at the Soekarno-Hatta airport occurred near an outlet of the US-based KFC chain, at a terminal used mostly for international departures. A television report put the number of wounded at 11, including a 12-year-old girl, while a health official at the airport and police said at least seven were hurt, one seriously.
The blast comes four days after the opening of the trial of a high-profile Muslim cleric linked to the Jemaah Islamiah militant group and after police said they had arrested 18 Muslim militants including key members of the south-east Asian network.
"It may have some correlation with ongoing trials of some people suspected to be involved in terrorism acts," chief security minister Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono told reporters.
A bomb attack on the resort island of Bali in October which killed 202 people has been blamed on members of the Jemaah Islamiah, linked by Western and Asian governments to the al-Qaeda network of Osama bin Laden.
A Jakarta police spokesman said the crude bomb had a timing device and was in a backpack under a bench near the restaurant. "This incident occurred because of the lack of security measures at the airport," he said.
TV pictures showed upturned furniture in the restaurant and a large pool of blood on the floor.
National police chief Da'i Bachtiar said several theories were being investigated including links to the Bali blasts and recent blasts in the north Sumatran capital of Medan that police have blamed on separatist rebels from Aceh province. He said the blast appeared to be similar to the explosion of two crude bombs on Thursday near UN offices in Jakarta. They caused no casualties.
The blast is more bad publicity for Indonesia as it tries to convince investors that the world's fourth most populous country and the most populous Muslim country, is safe for business.
Only on Saturday the US embassy in Jakarta said families of its staff told to leave Indonesia after the Bali blasts could return as the security situation had improved. - (Reuters)