More police placed in embassies and hotels

Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Following the bombing in Tentena, Central Sulawesi, that killed at least 20 people on Saturday, city police increased security on Sunday in strategic places, including at embassies and hotels.

Around 20 police officers armed with rifles, bulletproof vests and helmets are guarding the U.S Embassy on Jl. Medan Merdeka Selatan, Central Jakarta, while police trucks and water cannon block the entrance to the embassy.

Intelligence information suggesting that a terrorist group under the leadership of Malaysian fugitive Azahari bin Husin is in possession of a map of the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta prompted the closures of U.S. missions across the country indefinitely on Thursday.

Tight security was also apparent at other embassies, including the Australian Embassy on Jl. Rasuna Sahid, South Jakarta, and with fewer security personnel, the Japanese Embassy on Jl. Thamrin, Central Jakarta.

Security personnel also continue to conduct thorough checks on vehicles entering hotels, malls and office buildings located on main streets, including Jl. Thamrin, Jl. Sudirman, Jl. Rasuna Sahid and Jl. Gatot Subroto.

City police spokesman Sr. Comr. Tjiptono said the police anticipated a bomb attack in Jakarta following intelligence analysis suggesting that the Tentena bombing may be connected to bombing masterminds Azahari and Noordin Moh Top -- both Malaysians -- and the police are thoroughly checking suspicious vehicles and strategic buildings across the city.

"If the bombing was conducted by the two Malaysian fugitives or their recruits, then we can't rule out the possibility that they will target Jakarta also," he said.

He added that the police had actively tried to locate Azahari and Noordin before another bomb attack occurred.

Azahari and Noordin are believed to have masterminded the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people, the JW Marriott Hotel attack, which claimed 12 lives in 2003, and the 2004 bombing outside the Australian Embassy that killed 10 people.

Police said on Saturday that the style and impact of the bomb attack in Tentena indicated the involvement of the two most wanted Malaysians or at least their recruits.

National Police chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar said immediately after the Tentena bombing that the blast could be a decoy and the main target be another place.