A huge car bomb killed 14 people and wounded 152 yesterday as it ripped
through a luxury hotel in the heart of Indonesia's capital.
Indonesian police officers try to push
journalists away from the site of an explosion at J.W. Marriott Hotel in
Jakarta Tuesday. [AP]
The city's governor said a
suicide bomber was probably responsible for the attack -- the second major blast
to hit Indonesia in less than a year and timed as thousands of workers poured
out of their offices for their lunch break.
Flames and thick clouds of smoke billowed from the lobby area of the JW
Marriott Hotel hours after the blast. Cars and other vehicles caught fire and
staff and guests swiftly evacuated -- many leaving half-eaten meals in the
hotel's restaurants.
[Reuters]
The blast
coincided with high-profile trials of suspected Islamic militants on
bomb-related charges -- including that of Abu Bakar Bashir, an influential
cleric in the world's most populous Muslim nation.
He is accused of leading the Jemaah Islamiah network blamed for a series of
attacks on Western targets including October's Bali bombings that killed 202
people, most of them foreign tourists.
Australian tourist Simon Leuning had just arrived in Jakarta from Perth and
was relaxing in his room at the hotel when the explosion occurred.
"The window blew in, blew me across the room,'' he said. "I got out of
there as fast as I could.''
Stephen Mellor, a foreign resident who was parking his car less than 100
metres from the hotel at the time of the blast, said: "It was panic. Mad
panic.
A
bombing victim holds a gauze bandage to his
eye as nurses tend to his wounds Tuesday at Jakarta Hospital.
[AP]
"The police and paramedics did
what they could, but they seemed overwhelmed. People were almost hijacking cars
in desperation and piling the injured in them to take to hospital.''
Jakarta detective Andi Chaeruddin said the blast originated in the basement
of the hotel in Kuningan on one of the main roads through Jakarta's business
district.
Police said a Dutch citizen was among the dead and two Americans, two
Singaporeans, an Australian and a New Zealander among those hurt. The official
Antara news agency said 111 people were injured, many seriously.
"There is a strong possibility this was a suicide bomber,'' said Jakarta
Governor Sutiyoso. Defence Minister Matori Abdul Djalil was more blunt, calling
it "clearly an act of terrorism.''
Washington said last week that Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network was
planning new suicide hijackings and bombings in the United States and abroad.
The US Embassy held its 4th of July independence celebrations at the hotel.
"Intelligence agencies have warned for months now of the possibility of
attacks and the bulk of Jemaah Islamiah remains at large,'' said security expert
Andrew Tan at Singapore's Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies.
"This shouldn't be a surprise because in the last couple of months there have
been indications that more terrorist attacks are entirely plausible in a place
like Indonesia.''
The Marriott -- popular with foreign business people -- is close to the
diplomatic area of Menteng where dozens of Western embassies and consulates are
based.
Menteng, Jakarta's most exclusive suburb, is also home to Indonesian cabinet
members, lawmakers, senior army officials and tycoons.
The explosion hit Indonesia's financial markets with stocks falling an
initial 5 per cent and the currency also slipping against the dollar. The main
stock index ended down 3 per cent, its lowest in more than two
months.
