Grenade explosion kills one on new year's day

Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Just hours after fireworks were set off marking the coming of the year 2002, a hand grenade exploded in front of Ayam Goreng Bulungan restaurant in Blok M, South Jakarta at 3:30 a.m. on Tuesday, causing a man to lose his right hand and suffer severe injuries to his right leg.

The victim, Hasibullah, 25, was rushed to Pertamina Hospital's intensive care unit with hand and leg injuries, but died three hours later due to bleeding.

The blast also lightly hurt restaurant employee Sugiyanto, 20, and shattered the windows of a truck parked nearby.

Witnesses said an unidentified man attempted to escape right after the explosion, shouting repeatedly, "It's not me". He was caught by local residents, but was later released him as the people in the restaurant were too busy attending to the injured.

Minutes after the blast, a bomb squad cordoned off the area and combed the restaurant for possible explosives.

Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Makbul Padmanagara said the grenade was a hand grenade type K-75, better known as Granat Manggis, citing the results of police forensic laboratory investigation.

Asked if the Aceh-born Hasibullah was linked to radical groups in conflict-torn Aceh, Makbul said he did not want to speculate.

"It's too early to make any conclusion as we are still questioning witnesses," he said.

South Jakarta Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Abdul Rahman said his detectives were hunting down the unidentified escapee believed to be Hasibullah's accomplice.

The blast surprised many people who earlier thought that there would be no bomb attacks during the New Year festivities, citing the secure situation at churches in Jakarta during the 2001 Christmas celebrations.

On Christmas Eve last week, a low explosive homemade bomb exploded on the roof of a house belonging to pensioner Suhandi M. Harun in Pancoran, South Jakarta, which the police believed was linked to three explosions on June 19, 2001 in a boarding house located in front of the house due to the similar type of bomb.

A string of bomb attacks on several churches across the capital in 2000 discouraged many Jakarta residents from celebrating New Year's Eve outdoors.