Early morning blast near UN office

Early morning blast near UN office

M. Taufiqurrahman, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

A pipe bomb exploded on Thursday morning on Jl. Wahid Hasyim
in Central Jakarta behind the United Nations building, slightly
damaging a pedestrian bridge but causing no injuries.

Jakarta Police chief of detectives Comr. Gen. Erwin Mappaseng
told reporters at the scene that the explosion was caused by a
low-explosive device that appeared to have been assembled by
nonprofessionals.

"It went off early in the morning at 5:20 a.m. and only
resulted in a 30-centimeter crater by the bridge that crosses
Kali Krukut," Erwin said, referring to a creek that runs behind
the UN building.

The officer said the bomb was constructed from low explosives
placed inside a 34-centimeter-long and 10-centimeter-wide iron
pipe. It was wired to a timer and used a motorcycle battery as
its power supply.

The police cordoned off part of the two-way Jl. Wahid Hasyim
moments after the blast, causing an early morning traffic jam.
Traffic on Jl. Thamrin, which runs in front of the UN building,
was undisturbed.

Activity at the UN building continued as normal despite the
early morning blast. However, security in and around the building
was tightened.

Police are questioning 12 people who were in the area when the
explosion occurred. So far the 12 are only being considered as
witnesses.

"Their accounts of the blast have yet to shed any light on who
was responsible for the blast or their motive," said Sr. Adj.
Com. Sukrawardi Dahlan, chief of the Central Jakarta Police.

Sukrawardi pledged that the police would find those
responsible for the explosion.

The blast took place one day after police arrested 18 members
of the regional terror network Jamaah Islamiyah (JI). It also
occurred the day after the treason trial of the network's alleged
leader, Abu Bakar Ba'asyir, opened.

Thursday's explosion also occurred two days after the
detention of Habib Rizieq Shihab, a militant Muslim cleric who
faces trial for attacks on nightspots and bars by his followers
in the Islam Defenders Front (FPI).

Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Makbul Padmanagara said that
by setting off the bomb near the UN building, the perpetrators
had hoped to spread fear among the populace.

Based on how the device was assembled, Makbul said police
assumed the bomb was of the same type as used in the Feb. 3,
2003, explosion at Wisma Bhayangkara inside the compound of the
National Police Headquarters in South Jakarta.