Suspicious package found outside U.S. Embassy in Jakarta

Suspicious package found outside U.S. Embassy in Jakarta

2011-06-14 21:09:10 GMT+7 (ICT)

JAKARTA, INDONESIA (BNO NEWS) -- A suspicious package was found outside the U.S. Embassy in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta on Tuesday, causing some panic among employees and office workers in the area.

Security officials from the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta discovered the suspicious package while monitoring the area through CCTV cameras, Metro TV reported. The package was a white plastic object laying in the middle of the Medan Merdeka Street in South Jakarta, where the Embassy is located.

Metro TV said local authorities were contacted and a bomb squad arrived at the scene. The area was secured and bomb squad personnel examined the package with X-rays, determining that there was no threat or hazardous explosive materials inside.

The package was then opened, and personnel found a red bag that contained a Quran and a cell phone. After reviewing the incident, local authorities believe the package belonged to a motorcyclist who dropped it while crossing the road.

In September 2004, nine people were killed and more than 150 others were injured when a car bomb targeted the Australian embassy in Jakarta. The attack was carried out by the militant group Jemaah Islamiyah.

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