Marriot bomb linked to Islamic militants
The apparent suicide bomb attack in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, which killed 16 and injured 150, has been linked with Islamic groups affiliated with Osama bin Laden’s terror network al-Qaeda.
A large bomb was hidden in a Toyota Kijang van, parked outside the five-star Marriot Hotel; it pulverised five floors of the 33-story building as well as the hotel lobby.
It left a 2-metre (6.5-foot) crater in its wake.
Police said the terrorism was comparable with last October’s nightclub bombing in Bali, which killed 202 people.
Islamic militant group Jemaah Islamiyah was blamed for that heinous act.
The explosion came hours before Abu Bakar Bashir, leader of Jemaah Islamiyah, appeared for the first time at his treason trial.
Mr Bashir is suspected of carrying out a series of church bombings across Indonesia in 2000 that killed at least 15 people.
Elsewhere, a court in Bali is soon to deliver its verdict in the trial of Amrozi bin Nurhasyim, the man charged with orchestrating the Bali bombings.
Indonesian Security Minister Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono called the blast a “diabolical and inhumane terrorist attack.”
The Indonesian government is expected to implement tough new security measures terrorism to track and punish the perpetrators.
Police have said a Dutch banking executive died in the blast. Four Singaporeans, two Americans, two Australians and a New Zealander were among 150 injured.
