More police deployed around embassies after bomb threats

More police deployed around embassies after bomb threats

Abdul Khalik/Eva C. Komandjaja, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

The country's chief of police announced that his officers were on
high alert and extra personnel had been deployed to guard
strategic locations, including embassies, hotels and Western
interests in Jakarta following a bomb threat targeting the
British and Thai embassies on Thursday night.

National Police chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar said that he had
ordered his officers to increase security in both embassies after
receiving a cellular phone message (SMS) with a threat to bomb
those embassies.

"We have also been working to prevent such bomb threats by
pursuing two dangerous fugitives, Noordin Mohd. Top and Dr.
Azahari, so that they will feel threatened and they won't be able
to schedule another bomb attack," Da'i assured the public.

Azahari and Noordin, both Malaysians, were believed to have
been the main bomb designers in the 2002 Bali bombings that
killed 202 people, the JW Marriott Hotel attack, which claimed 12
lives and the 2003 bombing outside the Australian Embassy that
killed 10 people.

Da'i said the police were still investigating the source of
the SMS, and whether the sender was related to the two fugitives
or not.

However, Da'i explained that the SMS was probably a decoy and
the sender would likely bomb another location.

"Therefore, we will increase security not only in those two
places but also in other strategic places," he said.

The threat was received by the city police deputy chief Brig.
Gen. Bagus Eko Danto at 7:45 p.m. on Thursday without mentioning
the identity of the sender.

The message said that within a 12-hour period both the British
and Thai embassies would be blown up.

The City Police chief Insp. Gen. Firman Gani said that upon
receiving the message they quickly searched the two embassies but
found nothing after three hours of thorough checking.

At 10:45 p.m., the police declared the two embassies secure,
he said.

"Although we have not found a bomb in either place, we will go
on higher alert and deploy more personnel to the embassies and
other places that we believe are targets, including hotels across
the capital," he said without giving details on the number of
personnel deployed.

In the last several years, Jakarta has been hit by several
bomb attacks.

Meanwhile, the British embassy, located in Menteng, Central
Jakarta, was closed on Friday morning as a precautionary measure
to protect its employees and guests.

The embassy's press officer Faye Belnis said services at the
embassy would be suspended indefinitely, while officials continue
to review the security situation in the capital.

"Starting today we suspend all activities at the embassy,
including those in the British Embassy's building and those in
the British Consulate General offices in the Deutsche Bank
building, to protect staff and visitors. We believe that their
safety is paramount," Faye told The Jakarta Post.

However, the embassy's foreign office travel website said that
the closure would not have a detrimental effect on the relief
operations in Aceh following the tsunami on Dec. 26.

The website also warned that the threat of terrorism remains
high in Indonesia.

"We continue to receive reports that terrorists in Indonesia
are planning further attacks on Westerners. The attacks could
occur at any time, anywhere in Indonesia and are likely to be
directed against locations frequented by foreigners," it said.