Planet Hollywood Jakarta rocked by bomb hoax

JAKARTA (JP): Planet Hollywood restaurant received a bomb threat yesterday afternoon, forcing the management to ask hundreds of customers to immediately leave the premises.

At least 84 people watching Bruce Willis' latest hit Armageddon and about 60 other moviegoers queuing for afternoon shows at Hollywood KC 21 multiplex on the top floor of the two- story building were also ordered to leave the building.

Some of the moviegoers got their money back before they left the building.

After a brief sweep of the building by personnel from the police's Gegana Bomb Disposal Squad, the bomb threat -- received by a Planet Hollywood executive -- was deemed to be a hoax.

South Jakarta Police chief Lt. Col. Satrya Hari Prasetya said: "We have conducted a standard bomb-sweeping procedure and we did not find anything. The building is safe. It's just an empty threat."

Speaking to the media afterward, Planet Hollywood's assistant general manager Henry Soerjadi said that at 2:30 p.m. yesterday he had received a telephone call from an English-speaking man who told him there was a bomb in the building.

"It was not clear who the caller was, but he identified himself as Mr. John and said he was the defense attache at the American Embassy here," he said, adding that he forgot the second name.

"The caller told me 'there is a bomb in the building' and said it 'will explode before 4 p.m.' Then I hastily informed my boss," Henry said.

Henry said he did not think to double check with the embassy.

So far, no one has claimed responsibility for the hoax.

No U.S. embassy staff were available for comment late yesterday.

A telephone operator at the embassy, Ray, said: "If you want to confirm the matter, you'd better call during office hours."

Henry's statement about the incident differed from that of a security guard at the building.

According to the guard, who asked for anonymity, two warnings about a bomb were received by the Planet Hollywood telephone operator, Ririn, respectively at 11 a.m. and 11:05 a.m.

Henry said he had not heard about it.

"All I know is that since Tuesday evening's bombing at Planet Hollywood in Cape Town, South Africa, all of the Planet's branches worldwide have been told to tighten security," he said.

Retaliation

The bombing of a crowded Planet Hollywood restaurant in Cape Town killed one man and injured 27 people.

AP quoted government officials as saying that the Cape Town bombing was probably carried out by a local group in retaliation for the U.S. attack on Sudan and Afghanistan.

According to Henry, Planet Hollywood's management had taken measures with the help of the police to guard against a possible bomb attack after the Cape Town bombing.

"We, for instance, carry out routine checks around the compound," he said.

Located on Jl. Gatot Subroto in South Jakarta, Planet Hollywood Jakarta opened in October 1994 and is the only one in the country. It is 60 percent owned by tycoon Sudwikatmono and 40 percent by businessman Adiguna Sutowo.

Besides Armageddon, the five other theaters in the multiplex, controlled also by Sudwikatmono, are screening Harrison Ford's Six Days Seven Nights; Mel Gibson's Lethal Weapon IV; Species II and Adam Sandler's latest hit Wedding Singer.

Security officer Dimyati of the theater said some moviegoers left the scene quickly.

"We returned their money, saying that there was a technical problem. Of course, we did not want to make people panic," he said.

Last Friday, security officers at Wisma BNI 46 on Jl. Jend. Sudirman in Central Jakarta found a metal box which was first believed to contain an active explosive device.

But after the object was carefully examined, police declared it a fake explosive device. (edt)