INDONESIA / AUSTRALIA: Indonesian Police investigate whether deadly attacks on Bali were the work of suicide bombers / Australia gives reaction

Record ID: 358433

  • Title: INDONESIA / AUSTRALIA: Indonesian Police investigate whether deadly attacks on Bali were the work of suicide bombers / Australia gives reaction
  • Date: 2nd October 2005
  • Summary: (BN15) KUTA, BALI (OCTOBER 2, 2005) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF AREA CORDONED OFF WITH POLICE LINE (2 SHOTS) CLOSE UP OF ROOF RIPPED UP BY BLAST
  • Embargoed: 17th October 2005 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Australia, Indonesia
  • City:
  • Country: Australia Indonesia
  • Topics: Crime / Law Enforcement
  • Reuters ID: LVA35G2XL6MO598DLNTJK2N9WRZ8
  • Story Text: Police investigating coordinated blasts on crowded restaurants on Indonesia's resort island of Bali that killed 25 people said on Sunday (October 2) they were searching for clues to whether suicide bombers were to blame. The nearly simultaneous explosions that also wounded 102 people came nearly three years after militants linked to al Qaeda bombed nightclubs in Bali, killing 202 people, most of them foreign tourists. Bali's police chief Made Mangku Pastika visited one of the three blast sites, at Raja's restaurant in Kuta Beach, on Sunday. Asked if suicide bombers were responsible, he told reporters: "We have not come to that conclusion yet. We need to develop the investigation." "We want to search things that may be overlooked. We need to search and re-search again," Pastika said. Asked if the bombs had been hidden inside the restaurant before the blast or carried in, he said: "We have found a crater on the floor but give us more time so that there is no mistake." The well-respected Pastika is credited with a major role in the capture of many of those involved in the 2002 bombings. Police had blocked off much of the street in front of the restaurant, where a forensics team was at work. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono branded the blasts as acts of terrorism and vowed to catch those responsible. The United States, Britain, Australia and U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan also condemned the attacks. "These were clearly acts of terrorism because the victims were indiscriminately chosen and the targets were public areas. As president and on behalf of the Republic of Indonesia, I strongly condemn these inhuman acts," he said. Police confirmed three blasts at separate restaurants packed with evening diners, two at outdoor seafood eateries on Jimbaran Beach and one at a steak bar at Kuta Beach in an area surrounded by shops and jammed with pedestrians, including children. They have not said how the bombs were delivered or if suicide attackers were responsible for blasts that pile the pressure on Yudhoyono, who is already battling an outbreak of deadly bird flu and protests over sharp hikes in fuel prices. "This incident will have a huge impact. It will worsen people's fears. Bombings could happen anywhere, but we -- the law enforcement in Bali -- will try to maximise our and will try to improve civilian's participation in securing Bali," said Denpasar Police Chief Dewa Made Parsana. The sight of bloodied foreigners, which will likely lead to an exodus of travellers on Sunday, is another nightmare for Bali's tourism industry. The 2002 blasts devastated the island's tourism lifeblood and the industry had only recently recovered. Inside the badly damaged Raja restaurant and bar in Kuta Beach, a popular eatery, blood was spattered on the floor. Shattered glass from other shops and cafes littered the street. Yudhoyono said it was too soon to blame anyone for the attacks, which security experts said bore the hallmarks of Jemaah Islamiah, a network seen as the regional arm of al Qaeda. Police have blamed Jemaah Islamiah for a series of attacks against Western targets in the world's most populous Muslim nation, including the 2002 Bali blasts, which also took place on a Saturday night not far from the Kuta restaurant blast. They have launched roughly one major attack each year since then. The former general marks his first year in office on Oct. 20 and has vowed to make fighting terror one of his top priorities. More than 30 militants were caught and convicted over the 2002 Bali attacks. Indonesia said last week that Jemaah Islamiah had been weakened by arrests, but that it still posed a threat. Bali, 960 km (595 miles) east of Jakarta, is Indonesia's most popular destination for foreign tourists. Hospitals around the popular holiday destination of Bali are packed with the walking wounded on Sunday (October 2) following three bomb blasts which ripped through crowded restaurants on Saturday (October 1), killing 25 people including foreigners and wounding 102, officials said. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono condemned the nearly simultaneous blasts as terrorism. They came almost exactly three years after militants linked to al Qaeda bombed two nightclubs in Bali, killing 202 people, mainly foreign tourists. Police confirmed three blasts at separate restaurants packed with evening diners, two at outdoor seafood eateries on Jimbaran Beach and one at a steak bar at Kuta Beach in an area surrounded by shops and jammed with pedestrians, including children. They have not said how the bombs were delivered or if suicide attackers were responsible for blasts that pile the pressure on Yudhoyono, who is already battling an outbreak of deadly bird flu and protests over sharp hikes in fuel prices. "People were running for their lives. Foreign tourists were wounded. I am so scared," Yosi, 24, a shop owner in Kuta Beach near the blast site told Reuters. Officials at Bali's Sanglah hospital said 25 dead had been brought in. So far 12 bodies had been identified, comprising 10 Indonesians, one Australian and a Japanese national. The wounded including 16 Australians, six South Koreans, three Americans and three Japanese. In London, the foreign ministry said one Briton was slightly injured. Australian Jason Childs said he was having dinner along Jimbaran Beach when the bombs went off. "We helped a few victims on the sand there on the beach and there were a few people lying ... on the tables which are out on the beach, dead," Childs told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, according to its website (www.abc.net.au). "I didn't want to walk in there too far, too scared another bomb would go off, and everyone started screaming 'there's another bomb' and everyone started running." The sight of bloodied foreigners, which will likely lead to an exodus of travellers on Sunday, is another nightmare for Bali's tourism industry. The 2002 blasts devastated the island's tourism lifeblood and the industry had only recently recovered. Inside the badly damaged Raja restaurant and bar in Kuta Beach, a popular eatery, blood was spattered on the floor. Shattered glass from other shops and cafes littered the street. Wounded Indonesians sat on the pavement, some weeping, while foreigners fled the scene in panic, some having to first climb down mangled multi-storied shop and restaurant fronts to get away, footage on Metro TV showed. Bystanders gave first aid to many of the wounded. Yudhoyono said it was too soon to blame anyone for the attacks, which security experts said bore the hallmarks of Jemaah Islamiah, a network seen as the regional arm of al Qaeda. Police have blamed Jemaah Islamiah for a series of attacks against Western targets in the world's most populous Muslim nation, including the 2002 Bali blasts, which also took place on a Saturday night not far from the Kuta restaurant blast. They have launched roughly one major attack each year since then. "This is clearly a terrorist act ... We will catch the perpetrators and punish them," Yudhoyono told an impromptu news conference in Jakarta, adding he would go to Bali on Sunday. The former general marks his first year in office on Oct. 20 and has vowed to make fighting terror one of his top priorities. Yudhoyono noted that in July he had received information of an impending attack, with explosives ready to be detonated, but said that information showed the target would be Jakarta. Ken Conboy, a security and military expert in Jakarta, said attention would focus on Jemaah Islamiah (JI). "If you look at all the previous JI bombs, we know through interrogation that they considered the Bali bombing was their sole success. They really thought of that as a success, so I guess they're trying to repeat their earlier success," he said. More than 30 militants were caught and convicted over the 2002 Bali attacks. Indonesia said last week that Jemaah Islamiah had been weakened by arrests, but that it still posed a threat. Bali, 960 km (595 miles) east of Jakarta, is Indonesia's most popular destination for foreign tourists. The predominantly Hindu island is home to 3 million people and is famous for its beautiful beaches and rich culture.

    Three bomb blasts ripped through crowded restaurants on the famous Indonesian resort island of Bali on Saturday (October 1), killing 25 people including foreigners and wounding 102, officials said. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono condemned the nearly simultaneous blasts as terrorism. They came almost exactly three years after militants linked to al Qaeda bombed two nightclubs in Bali, killing 202 people, mainly foreign tourists. Police confirmed three blasts at separate restaurants packed with evening diners, two at outdoor seafood eateries on Jimbaran Beach and one at a steak bar at Kuta Beach in an area surrounded by shops and jammed with pedestrians, including children. They have not said how the bombs were delivered or if suicide attackers were responsible for blasts that pile the pressure on Yudhoyono, who is already battling an outbreak of deadly bird flu and protests over sharp hikes in fuel prices. Officials at Bali's Sanglah hospital said 25 dead had been brought in. So far 12 bodies had been identified, comprising 10 Indonesians, one Australian and a Japanese national. The wounded including 16 Australians, six South Koreans, three Americans and three Japanese. In London, the foreign ministry said one Briton was slightly injured. The sight of bloodied foreigners, which will likely lead to an exodus of travellers on Sunday, is another nightmare for Bali's tourism industry. The 2002 blasts devastated the island's tourism lifeblood and the industry had only recently recovered. Inside the badly damaged Raja restaurant and bar in Kuta Beach, a popular eatery, blood was spattered on the floor. Shattered glass from other shops and cafes littered the street. Wounded Indonesians sat on the pavement, some weeping, while foreigners fled the scene in panic, some having to first climb down mangled multi-storied shop and restaurant fronts to get away, footage on Metro TV showed. Bystanders gave first aid to many of the wounded. Yudhoyono said it was too soon to blame anyone for the attacks, which security experts said bore the hallmarks of Jemaah Islamiah, a network seen as the regional arm of al Qaeda. Police have blamed Jemaah Islamiah for a series of attacks against Western targets in the world's most populous Muslim nation, including the 2002 Bali blasts, which also took place on a Saturday night not far from the Kuta restaurant blast. They have launched roughly one major attack each year since then. "These were clearly acts of terrorism because the victims were indiscriminately chosen and the targets were public areas. As president and on behalf of the Republic of Indonesia, I strongly condemn these inhuman acts," Yudhoyono told an impromptu news conference in Jakarta, adding he would go to Bali on Sunday. The former general marks his first year in office on Oct. 20 and has vowed to make fighting terror one of his top priorities. Yudhoyono noted that in July he had received information of an impending attack, with explosives ready to be detonated, but said that information showed the target would be Jakarta. More than 30 militants were caught and convicted over the 2002 Bali attacks. Indonesia said last week that Jemaah Islamiah had been weakened by arrests, but that it still posed a threat. Bali, 960 km (595 miles) east of Jakarta, is Indonesia's most popular destination for foreign tourists. The predominantly Hindu island is home to 3 million people and is famous for its beautiful beaches and rich culture.
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