Planet Hollywood Jakarta rocked by bomb hoax<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Planet Hollywood restaurant received a bomb
\nthreat yesterday afternoon, forcing the management to ask
\nhundreds of customers to immediately leave the premises.<\/p>\n
At least 84 people watching Bruce Willis' latest hit
\nArmageddon and about 60 other moviegoers queuing for afternoon
\nshows at Hollywood KC 21 multiplex on the top floor of the two-
\nstory building were also ordered to leave the building.<\/p>\n
Some of the moviegoers got their money back before they left
\nthe building.<\/p>\n
After a brief sweep of the building by personnel from the
\npolice's Gegana Bomb Disposal Squad, the bomb threat -- received
\nby a Planet Hollywood executive -- was deemed to be a hoax.<\/p>\n
South Jakarta Police chief Lt. Col. Satrya Hari Prasetya said:
\n\"We have conducted a standard bomb-sweeping procedure and we did
\nnot find anything. The building is safe. It's just an empty
\nthreat.\"<\/p>\n
Speaking to the media afterward, Planet Hollywood's assistant
\ngeneral manager Henry Soerjadi said that at 2:30 p.m. yesterday
\nhe had received a telephone call from an English-speaking man who
\ntold him there was a bomb in the building.<\/p>\n
\"It was not clear who the caller was, but he identified
\nhimself as Mr. John and said he was the defense attache at the
\nAmerican Embassy here,\" he said, adding that he forgot the second
\nname.<\/p>\n
\"The caller told me 'there is a bomb in the building' and said
\nit 'will explode before 4 p.m.' Then I hastily informed my boss,\"
\nHenry said.<\/p>\n
Henry said he did not think to double check with the embassy.<\/p>\n
So far, no one has claimed responsibility for the hoax.<\/p>\n
No U.S. embassy staff were available for comment late
\nyesterday.<\/p>\n
A telephone operator at the embassy, Ray, said: \"If you want
\nto confirm the matter, you'd better call during office hours.\"<\/p>\n
Henry's statement about the incident differed from that of a
\nsecurity guard at the building.<\/p>\n
According to the guard, who asked for anonymity, two warnings
\nabout a bomb were received by the Planet Hollywood telephone
\noperator, Ririn, respectively at 11 a.m. and 11:05 a.m.<\/p>\n
Henry said he had not heard about it.<\/p>\n
\"All I know is that since Tuesday evening's bombing at Planet
\nHollywood in Cape Town, South Africa, all of the Planet's
\nbranches worldwide have been told to tighten security,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Retaliation<\/p>\n
The bombing of a crowded Planet Hollywood restaurant in Cape
\nTown killed one man and injured 27 people.<\/p>\n
AP quoted government officials as saying that the Cape Town
\nbombing was probably carried out by a local group in retaliation
\nfor the U.S. attack on Sudan and Afghanistan.<\/p>\n
According to Henry, Planet Hollywood's management had taken
\nmeasures with the help of the police to guard against a possible
\nbomb attack after the Cape Town bombing.<\/p>\n
\"We, for instance, carry out routine checks around the
\ncompound,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Located on Jl. Gatot Subroto in South Jakarta, Planet
\nHollywood Jakarta opened in October 1994 and is the only one in
\nthe country. It is 60 percent owned by tycoon Sudwikatmono and 40
\npercent by businessman Adiguna Sutowo.<\/p>\n
Besides Armageddon, the five other theaters in the multiplex,
\ncontrolled also by Sudwikatmono, are screening Harrison Ford's
\nSix Days Seven Nights; Mel Gibson's Lethal Weapon IV; Species II
\nand Adam Sandler's latest hit Wedding Singer.<\/p>\n
Security officer Dimyati of the theater said some moviegoers
\nleft the scene quickly.<\/p>\n
\"We returned their money, saying that there was a technical
\nproblem. Of course, we did not want to make people panic,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Last Friday, security officers at Wisma BNI 46 on Jl. Jend.
\nSudirman in Central Jakarta found a metal box which was first
\nbelieved to contain an active explosive device.<\/p>\n
But after the object was carefully examined, police declared
\nit a fake explosive device. (edt)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/planet-hollywood-jakarta-rocked-by-bomb-hoax-1447893297",
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