Explosions scare Yogya Plaza's visitors

Explosions scare Yogya Plaza's visitors

Theresia Sufa, The Jakarta Post, Bogor

Two packages exploded in turn on Thursday at around 12:20 p.m.
inside a concrete community dump located in front of Top Metro
shop in Yogya Plaza on Jl. Soleh Iskandar, Tanah Sareal, Bogor
municipality.

The blasts caused panic among visitors, who thought it was a
bomb blast.

No fatalities or injuries were reported in the incident. The
explosion only cracked the concrete walls of the dump.

Similar packages were also found in a dump in front of Hero
Supermarket on Jl. Pajajartan, Bogor, by a scavenger. She
immediately reported her finding to a supermarket security guard.

East Bogor Police officers contacted the bomb squad which
later exploded the package at 6:15 p.m. and 6:20 p.m.

Bogor Police deputy chief Comr. Agus Nugraha confirmed that
the explosions on Jl. Soleh Iskandar were caused by firecrackers
wrapped in black plastic bags. The first explosion occurred at
12:20 p.m. while the second took place a few minutes later.

"We are tracking down a suspect based on information from
several eyewitnesses at the scene," Agus told reporters.

Eyewitness Indri, whose office is near the site of the
explosions, said that she saw an unidentified man clad in a dark
T-shirt carrying plastic bags and throwing them into the dump not
long before the explosion.

Another eyewitness, Samin, a security guard, said he
discovered pieces of paper and two batteries at the dump right
after the explosion.

Officers from the National Police forensics laboratory, who
cordoned off the area, also discovered wires and a timer at the
scene.

The blasts scared away visitors at the shopping center.

"I'm going home, I am not going to stay around to shop. I
thought it was a bomb blast," said Minah, a visiting resident of
Cimanggu, Bogor.

The police said that it was the first explosion in Bogor city,
although police had experienced hoaxes in the past two years.