Vehicle checks conducted after Jakarta bomb warning

Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

Jakarta Police continued making random checks of vans and trucks for explosives and terrorists on Friday in the wake of a travel warning released by the Australian government this week warning of another bomb attack on the city.

One cargo-laden truck was forced to the side of the road by several police officers in East Jakarta on Friday afternoon where several other impounded vans were waiting to be released.

Police said they thoroughly checked the truck passing through Jl. MT Haryono, with an officer searching under the carpet and in the boxes in the back, while two others questioned the driver. After a considerable delay the truck was allowed to continue its journey.

Earlier in another part of the city, The Jakarta Post observed a green van heading to Jl. Gatot Subroto from Jl. S. Parman in West Jakarta also being stopped.

Having no clue why the police asked him to pull over, the driver intended to move on until an officer yelled at him.

Scenes like this were common on many main streets across the city this week after the Australian warning, that advised Australian citizens to avoid public places, including shopping centers, international schools, embassies and office buildings which were said to be likely targets of a possible car bomb attack.

The Australian government said the warning was made based on information from the Jakarta Police. Belying the presence of the police roadblocks, the city police have said they gave no such information.

City police chief Insp. Gen. Firman Gani stressed on Friday that Jakarta was still a safe place as police intelligence sources had informed them there was no immediate danger of an attack.

"It's natural for a government to warn the citizens about the possibility of a bomb attack as the two alleged terrorists Azahari Husin and Noordin Moh. Top are still at large," he said.

Malaysian nationals Azahari and Noordin were believed to have masterminded the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people and the JW Marriott Hotel attack, which claimed 12 lives.

In their preliminary investigation, police found information that the two had recruited several new suicide bombers, including those who perpetrated the bombing outside the Australian Embassy on Sept. 9 last year.

Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Tjiptono said the vehicle checks were a continuation of an anti-terrorist operation called "Kilat Jaya", which also aimed to catch Azhari and Noordin and their followers. However, the operation was not specifically in response to any imminent threat, he said.

"We are just intensifying our monitoring to check if these fugitives (Azahari and Noordin) are in the city. So far, no signs of (any preparations for a) bomb attack have been seen in the city," he told The Jakarta Post.

He said that 25 of 50 Closed Circuit Televisions (CCTVs) placed across the capital had been in full operation to help police monitoring traffic and suspicious vehicles.

"The CCTVs are very helpful when we monitor strategic places, including malls, embassy buildings, and office buildings," he said.