Indonesian police: parcel bombs from outside Jakarta

Indonesian police: parcel bombs from outside Jakarta

2011-03-29 21:41:47 GMT+7 (ICT)

JAKARTA, INDONESIA (BNO NEWS) -- Indonesian police on Tuesday said the series of parcel bombs that have targeted different areas of the country's capital, Jakarta, might have been sent from outside the city.

Jakarta Police Chief Inspector General Sutarman gathered around 800 members of Indonesian security police personnel who were briefed to better secure their respective neighborhoods, Indonesia's Antara news agency reported.

During the meeting, Sutarman also stressed that with good early detection capabilities, the terror suspects' whereabouts could be traced, underlining extra alertness as parcel bombs could be coming from outside the capital city.

During the past weeks, Indonesia has been facing a series of parcel bombs targeting several areas, especially within Jakarta's metropolitan area.

Earlier on Tuesday, Muhammadiyah University Rector Masyitoh Chusnan received a package, which was later disposed by police forces.

Last Friday, in South Tangerang, just outside Jakarta, an explosion was reported near the Center for Science and Technology Research (Puspitek). No casualties or injuries were reported. Police found pieces of iron, cables and plastic. an investigation is ongoing to determine the cause of the blast.

Earliy Friday morning, a 16-year old boy, identified only as Effendi, was killed and another teenager, Musdar, was in critical condition at Pelabuhan Hospital in Surabaya, East Java after an explosion at a market.

The incidents marked the latest in series of bomb attacks in Indonesia. However, it has not been determined if the two explosions on Friday had been terror attacks or accidents.

Last Wednesday, police also found and disposed another suspected parcel bomb next to a luxurious residence in Banjarmasin city, South Kalimantan province. The suspicious package contained an unidentified fluid and powdered materials, which could cause a blast similar to firecrackers.

On March 15, a bomb parcel exploded in Utan Kayu, East Jakarta. The explosive device was sent to the local KBR 68H Radio News Agency and was addressed to the agency's chief Gories Mere. A policeman lost his hand while trying to defuse it.

Another explosive package was located at the National Narcotics Agency office in Jakarta. A police bomb squad managed to deactivate it before it exploded. A third one was sent to Ulil Abshar Abdalla, chairman of the Liberal Islam Network, in Utan Kayu. The device exploded while policemen were trying to defuse it; three police officers were severely injured.

An explosive device hidden in a hollowed out book was the fourth explosive, which was sent to the residence of music mogul Ahmad Dhani in Pondok Indah, south Jakarta. All four bombs were concealed in the same way.

Since the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people, including 88 Australian tourists, the country has been constantly fighting terrorist cells.

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