City tightens security amid fears of terror attack

The Jakarta Post Jakarta

Shopping malls, hotels and office buildings introduced on Thursday more thorough security checks on vehicles entering their compounds amid renewed fears of further terrorist attacks in the capital.

The Jakarta Post observed security personnel carefully checking incoming cars at the Shangri-La and Sari Pan Pacific hotels, Plaza Senayan, Plaza Indonesia, the Artha Graha building and the Jakarta Stock Exchange on Thursday.

Scores of public order officers and policemen were also present at intersections and T-junctions, such as the intersection near Sarinah department store, Hotel Indonesia traffic circle and the Tanah Abang overpass.

Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Firman Gani said on Thursday that the police had detected increased activity of terror suspects in the capital.

Firman said Malaysian terror suspects Azahari and Noordin M. Top along with new recruits could detonate a bomb at any time.

Azahari and Noordin are believed to be the masterminds behind a spate of bombings in the country since 2000, including the deadly Bali bombings in 2002, the Marriott Hotel bombing in 2003 and the bombing outside the Australian Embassy in 2004.

Firman said the police had passed on the information to several embassies, including the U.S., British, Australian and Japanese embassies, to follow up with heightened security measures.

"We are increasing the number of security personnel at embassies and their facilities," Firman said.

Police personnel armed with rifles, bulletproof vests and helmets also guarded the U.S. Embassy on Jl. Medan Merdeka Selatan and the Japanese Embassy on Jl. MH Thamrin.

Separately, Jakarta Deputy Governor Fauzi Bowo called on residents to help monitor security in the city.

"Neighborhood unit heads are responsible for checking any new people in their neighborhoods," Fauzi said at City Hall.

Learning from a string of bomb attacks in the capital over the last five years, the administration has repeatedly warned neighborhood unit heads to help monitor rented homes, which are often used as safe houses for terror suspects to plan and prepare attacks.