Graha Cijantung Mall rocked by explosion

Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

A bomb exploded on Monday evening at a mall partly owned by the Army's Special Force (Kopassus), near to the red berets' headquarters at the Graha Cijantung on Jl. Raya Bogor, East Jakarta, injuring eight people.

A victim who suffered serious injury to his right hand, A. Suryatna, 49, a resident of Jl. H. Yusin, Pasar Rebo subdistrict, East Jakarta, was rushed to Pasar Rebo hospital for medical treatment.

Seven other victims, including four women, suffered only light injuries, including temporary loss of hearing.

The bomb went off at 7:20 p.m. in the basement stairwell of the four-story building. The building was closed after visitors and employees were evacuated.

Soon after the explosion, dozens of armed and uniformed Kopassus personnel cordoned off the mall to stop the public from approaching. Even the police's bomb squad were initially prevented from entering. Journalists and residents were also kept at bay.

Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Makbul Padmanagara and East Jakarta Mayor Koesnan visited the scene several hours after the explosion.

Makbul said the blast was caused by a big firecracker and not by a bomb. "The bomb squad has found that there were no wires or detonators found at the scene that could indicate the blast was caused by a bomb," he told reporters on Monday night at the scene.

Kopassus chief Maj. Gen. Amirul Isnaini, however, told The Jakarta Post that the explosion was very powerful as the blast could be heard from Kopassus headquarters, which is around one kilometer from the mall.

The mall is owned by a Kopassus foundation.

Amirul conjectured that whoever placed the explosives was not very professional.

"There were other, more strategic points in the mall, and if the explosives had been placed there instead of under the stairs, the effects would have been a lot more devastating," he said.

He also said it was fortunate that the explosives were planted under the stairs.

"The stairs took the brunt of the explosion, preventing more serious damage and casualties," said Amirul.

Amirul also revealed that the mall management had received a bomb threat about two months ago and had taken precautions, including improving security.

"But even the U.S. failed," he said, referring to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the U.S.

He said the case was being handled by the police, who were being assisted by members of Kopassus' antiterrorism squad.

Meanwhile, police rushed to the Casablanca tunnel in South Jakarta to investigate a bag suspected of containing a bomb. The bag was later found to be harmless.

Recently, the capital city witnessed a small bomb explosion at a discotheque in West Jakarta.