Blast rocks Jakarta's airport

Blast rocks Jakarta's airport

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

In less than a week, the second bomb attack hit the capital with
a blast at the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport on Sunday
morning, injuring 11 people, including a family of three.

One of the victims, a 18-year-old baby sitter, had to have her
left foot amputated.

With people still anxious after an explosion behind the United
Nations building here on Thursday, a low explosive bomb exploded
at Departure Terminal F for Garuda domestic flights at the
international airport at around 6:30 a.m. on Sunday.

National Police chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar suspected that
Sunday's bombing was related to the previous incident at the UN
headquarters and last month's bombing in the capital of North
Sumatra, Medan.

Da'i noted that the three bombings using low explosives
employed similar operational procedures and he warned of more
possible bomb attacks.

He hinted that three groups may have been related to the
incident: the terrorist network related to last year's Bali
bombing, a regional terrorist network or a separatist movement.

"The bomb is similar to the one used in Medan, whose
perpetrators were members of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM), but we
have to wait for further investigation," Da'i said.

He further noted that the string of bombings in the country in
2001 and 2002, and the trial preparation for the perpetrators of
the Oct. 12 Bali bombing may also be related to Sunday's bombing.

"There are possibilities that these groups may conduct more
bomb attacks in the future," the police chief said, after
greeting President Megawati Soekarnoputri at Halim Perdanakusumah
Airport.

Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono concurred, saying that there was a link
between the worsening security situation in Aceh and the upcoming
trial of the Bali bombing suspects with these recent attacks.

"With these threats we cannot afford to relax our level of
alertness and must continue to be prepared for all
possibilities," Susilo remarked at Halim airport.

Minister of Transportation Agum Gumelar immediately ordered a
tightening of security at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport as
well as other international airports and heightened checking of
the public areas.

A senior official at Susilo's office admitted the bomb
incident took place amid lax security, especially after the
police had forecasted early this year that bombings would take
place ahead of the general election in 2004.

"But, please bear in mind, no country has been able to escape
terrorist attacks -- however tight their security is," head of
the antiterrorism desk, Insp. Gen. Ansjaad Mbay, told The Jakarta
Post.

He asserted that although many bomb suspects had already been
arrested, terror attacks would still take place because "more of
them are still out there and they have already linked themselves
to international terrorist networks".

Based on current investigations of terrorist groups in the
country that profess an ideological motivation behind their
attacks, Mbay said the law was not enough to stop them. He
suggested a multipronged approach involving international
cooperation.

The two latest bomb attacks in the city occurred just after
the arrest of 18 alleged Jamaah Islamiah (JI) members and the
trial of JI leader Abu Bakar Ba'asyir.

The bomb that exploded on Sunday was put inside a bag under a
bench in a Korean cafe, Sky Cafe, next to the Kentucky Fried
Chicken restaurant, in Terminal F.

The cafe glass pane, as well as eight meters of glass panes
above a ticket counter of the Indonesian flag-carrier Garuda were
also smashed to smithereens.

Despite the blast and the presence of policeman, who arrived
about an hour after the blast, and the police K-9 unit,
activities at the airport remained normal and no flights were
canceled.

Airport administrator Moersantono said that thus far, no
airlines had complained about security at the airport after the
blast.

Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Prasetyo told reporters
near the blast site that the bomb was made of low explosives.

"If it was made of high explosives, the effect would have been
much more disastrous," he said.

But he declined to comment when asked about whether the bomb
was assembled by professionals.

A forensics team at the blast site found a steel pipe, a
motorcycle battery and a timer.

These materials were similar to those used in the homemade
bombs that had rocked Medan, a hall at the National Police
headquarters and the UN building.

Prasetyo pledged that in the near future security would be
tightened within and around the airport, including the
installment of security doors in the previously unmanned public
areas.

Police had questioned 10 witnesses of the incident.

GAM spokesman, Sofyan Dawod, denied any involvement in the
case, saying that the accusation was baseless and indicated that
the government was desperate.