Graha Cijantung Mall rocked by explosion

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.