Series of EmergencyNet News "Real Time" Reports Concerning Explosions on the Island of Bali -- 12 to 19 Oct 2002

19 Oct 2002

TODAY'S CENTRAL FOCUS:

U.S. State Department Issues Warning As Indonesia Arrest Muslim Cleric

INDONESIA: As the United States State Department ordered all non- emergency government personnel and their families out of the country, Indonesian police on Saturday arrested a controversial Muslim cleric suspected of involvement in a series of church bombings. Abu Bakar Ba'asyir, suspected of involvement in a series of church bombings in 2000 was placed in police custody while being treated in a hospital about 300 miles from Jakarta. Brig. Gen. Aryanto Sutadi, director of crime investigation at the Indonesian police headquarters, said Ba'asyir's status is now under police control.

Doctors said the 64-year-old Islamic cleric will have to stay in the hospital at least for two days. Ba'asyir operates an Islamic boarding school that counterterrorism analysts have called a breeding ground of extremism. He is widely believed as the "spiritual leader" of Jemaah Islamiyah, the main ally of al-Qaeda in Southeast Asia, and has been alleged to be behind several terror attacks.

The U.S. embassy also warned all Americans in Indonesia to "evaluate their security posture and consider departing the country." Australia says it has received intelligence about plans for bomb attacks on Westerners in the Indonesian capital Jakarta. Foreign Minister Alexander Downer made the announcement as the country prepared to receive the first positively identified remains of one of its citizens killed in the Bali night-club bombing.

Downer said: "On the basis of intelligence we've received, it's very important we draw people's attention to the risk." Downer added he had "specific threats ... of bomb attacks in ... certain Jakarta suburbs against Westerners" and urged Australians to leave. The Australian Foreign Ministry has issued a travel advisory asking citizens to avoid the Jakarta suburbs of Kota, Jalan Hayam Wuruk, Taman Anggrek, Pasar Baru and Pasar Senen.

The Australian Foreign Ministry also said in its statement: "We have received reports that crowded areas, including upmarket entertainment areas, should be avoided." It added that the possible arrest of "extremist leaders" in the wake of the anti-terrorism decrees passed by Indonesia on Friday could provoke a "strong reaction from their supporters."

The British Foreign Office has tightened its travel guidelines for its nationals in southeast Asian countries. Following the Bali night- club bomb, it is urging particular vigilance in public places, where groups of Western tourists could be singled out by terrorists. Britons are being advised to avoid Indonesia completely.

Those British nationals in the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand and East Timor, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Singapore, Brunei, Burma are warned to be vigilant in places such as nightclubs, bars, restaurants and places of worship. Businesses, British institutions and schools are warned to be particularly careful.

Forensic Experts Comb Bali Bomb Site

INDONESIA: Forensic experts from around the world have been combing the site of the bombing on the Indonesian island of Bali in search of clues on who carried out Saturday's attack that killed more than 180 people, most of them young Westerners. Australian police officers appear to be taking the lead in the investigation, joined by investigators from the US FBI, from Scotland Yard in London and from Japan and Germany. Australia, where most of the victims came from, has announced it is setting up a joint investigation with Indonesian authorities.

The Indonesian government has also been debating forcing through emergency anti-terrorism measures to give police sweeping powers in the aftermath of the attack on the nightclub. Two people are being questioned over the attack -- but authorities have refused to confirm newspaper reports that a third -- a former member of the country's air force -- had confessed to assembling the bomb.

On Wednesday, local media also said two vans appeared to have been used for the attack, and the device -- containing a C-4 plastic explosive -- was detonated remotely. US experts say the putty-like C-4 is the mark of a sophisticated terror group and the same or a similar explosive was used in the attack on the USS Cole in Yemen two years earlier -- an attack widely blamed on the evil Usama bin Laden's al-Qaeda terror network.

Indonesia's national police chief, Da'i Bachtiar, said one of the two men being questioned had been present when the attack occurred and the other was related to someone whose ID card was found at the blast site in the resort of Kuta. Bachtiar said that one witness had reported seeing a man setting down a white plastic bag outside Paddy's Bar in Kuta -- one of the targets of the bombers. Australian police have been appealing to returning citizens for photos or video taken in Kuta which may contain clues.

Reports from Bali said that a formal crime scene was not established immediately in Kuta and crucial evidence may have been lost. Suspicion has fallen on one radical Islamic group in particular, Jemaah Islamiah, which denies involvement in the attack. Its alleged leader, Abu Bakar Ba'asyir, has blamed the Bali attack on the US and publicly defended al-Qaeda.

Ba'asyir said: "I will always defend them [al-Qaeda] because they are trying to establish an Islamic state," adding that he "hated" the US because it was being "manipulated by Jews to fight against Islam."

Australian Prime Minister John Howard has said his country will call on the United Nations to list Jemaah Islamiah as a terrorist organization and Britain is also considering a ban.

Efforts are continuing in Bali to identify the remains of the dead with only 44 bodies positively matched out of a confirmed death toll of at least 181. The identification of the bodies could take weeks.

A lawyer representing one of Indonesia's most hardline Islamic groups, Laskar Jihad, has said the organization has been disbanded. The militant group has been fighting a "holy war" against the Christian community in the Moluccan islands and central Sulawesi. Up to 10,000 people have been killed in the conflicts. The lawyers denied the move was connected to pressure from the international community to crack down on Muslim militants, particularly after the Bali bombing.

A local television reporter based in the Moluccan Islands' provincial capital, Ambon, said he had seen the first boat filled with Laskar Jihad fighters leave the islands on Tuesday. The aim is for all 2,000 of the militants to return home before the beginning of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in three weeks' time. According to the Laskar Jihad lawyer, fighters are also being withdrawn from the conflict in central Sulawesi. The headquarters in Java has been closed down, along with the website.

No official reason has been given for the disbandment of the organization, which is blamed for the deaths of hundreds, if not thousands of people. But one member has been quoted as saying a religious figure in Saudi Arabia had decreed the holy war was over, in the Moluccan islands at least.

THREAT MATRIX

U.S. State Department Issues Travel Warning For Indonesia

WASHINGTON: On 13 October, the U.S. Department of State issued the following Travel Warning for Indonesia: "This Travel Warning is being issued to alert Americans to increased security concerns in Indonesia arising as a result of the October 12 bombing of a night club and another in the vicinity of our Consular Agency in ---Bali, Indonesia. The Department of State warns U.S. citizens to defer travel to Indonesia. In addition, this Travel Warning alerts Americans to the ordered departure of U.S. Government personnel in non-emergency positions and all family members. This Travel Warning supersedes the November 23, 2001, Travel Warning for Indonesia.

The Department of State warns U.S. citizens to defer travel to Indonesia. The bombing of a nightclub and another in the vicinity of our Consular Agency in Bali, Indonesia, along with the current security situation within Indonesia puts U.S. citizens and U.S. interests at risk. In addition to the October 12 bombings in Bali, a series of bombings over the past two years has struck religious, political, and business targets throughout Indonesia. Americans in Indonesia should evaluate their security posture and consider departing the country.

As a result of these concerns, the Department has ordered the departure of U.S. Government personnel in non-emergency positions and all family members in Indonesia. All American citizens in Indonesia are urged to depart the country.

As indicated in the Department's Worldwide Caution of October 10, 2002, as security is increased at official U.S. facilities, terrorists and their sympathizers will seek softer targets. These may include facilities where Americans are generally known to congregate or visit, such as clubs, restaurants, places of worship, schools or outdoor recreation events.

American citizens who travel to or reside in Indonesia should exercise maximum caution and take prudent measures such as avoiding crowds and demonstrations, keeping a low profile, varying times and routes for all required travel, remaining acutely aware of their immediate environment, and notifying the U.S. Embassy or Consulate in case of any change in the local security situation. Indonesia's frequent political demonstrations are usually peaceful, but can quickly turn violent with little forewarning and should be avoided. American citizens are urged to treat mail and packages from unfamiliar sources with suspicion.

Occasionally, the U.S. mission in Indonesia may suspend service to the public and/or close because of security concerns. When experiencing these situations, the Embassy will continue to provide emergency services to American citizens via telephone."

15 Oct 2002

Indonesia News Briefs

Al-Qaeda Now Acknowledged To Be Active In Indonesia

INDONESIA: The Indonesian government on Monday acknowledged for the first time that al-Qaeda is active on its soil. Since the 9/11 attacks, and despite U.S. pressure and the discovery of an al-Qaeda-linked terror network in neighboring Singapore and Malaysia, Indonesia has insisted that there is no threat of violent Islamic extremism on its soil.

The position change came after a Cabinet meeting in Jakarta on Monday, when Defense Minister Matori Abdul Djalil said: "We are sure al-Qaeda is here. The Bali bomb blast is linked to al-Qaeda with the cooperation of local terrorists." President Megawati Sukarnoputri is likely to face growing demands to arrest high- profile suspects whose continued freedom has astounded law enforcement officials in other countries. Whether she can do so without provoking extremists and further attacks is another question.

Security Minister Bambang Susilo Yudoyono said there were signs that terrorists were planning to attack industrial sites, including ExxonMobil Corp's Arun liquefied-natural-gas plant in Aceh and the Caltex refinery in Sumatra...

INDONESIA: In what appeared to be the first sign that the government is getting serious about cracking down on Islamic extremism in the wake of the deadly bombing of a Bali nightclub, Indonesia's most violent Muslim extremist group announced on Tuesday that it was disbanding. The announcement by the group, Laskar Jihad, came as Indonesian officials interrogated a security guard and another man about the nightclub bombing, and said traces of C-4 plastic explosive were found at the scene. Also, the accused ringleader of a separate extremist network, linked to al-Qaeda, said he would submit to police questioning.

In related news, forensic experts from the United States and Australia on Tuesday began to identify the remains of victims of Saturday's night- club explosions on the resort island of Bali that killed nearly 200 people and injured more than 300 others. The process got under way as investigators interrogated two people, though no arrests were made. Many of the bodies were so badly charred identification has been difficult. As of Tuesday, only 44 bodies had been identified, including 20 Australians, six Indonesians, eight British, five residents of Singapore, and one each from Germany, the Netherlands, the United States, Ecuador and New Zealand.

INSTANT 09:00CDT/21:00 Jakarta Time - 14 Oct 2002

JI leader Blames Blast on U.S.

"All the allegations against me are groundless. I challenge them to prove anything," said Abu Bakar Bashir, the leader of Jemaah Islamiyah, a group that other governments insist is linked to the Al Qaeda terror network.

"I suspect that the bombing was engineered by the United States and its allies to justify allegations that Indonesia is a base for terrorists," he told the Associated Press (AP) in telephone interview from Solo, a city in central Java.

ERRI's senior national security analyst Clark Staten, very familiar with the region and  Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), said that Abu Bakar Bashir's comments were "typical" of recent statements from radicals who blame all terrorist attacks on either the United States or Israel. "It's all nonsense...and simply designed to deflect attention from the the real perpetrators...although the investigation is just underway, Al-Qaeda and JI remain on top of the list of probable attackers in Bali," he added.

Staten continued, "Aside from the horrific death toll involving Westerners, the attack may already have accomplished another of its intended consequences...to further destabilize the Indonesian economy... as the stock market went down in Jakarta by at least 9% on Monday and the value of the Indonesian Rupiah also reportedly dropped against almost all of the world's currencies." "That is an already stated goal of Bin Laden and Al-Qaeda...to attack the economies of America and her allies," Staten concluded. Many economists are now reportedly worried about a longer-term decline in tourism in Indonesia, one of its top hard currency producers, ERRI analysts said. ERRI analysts had previously warned of a potential for imminent attacks in Indonesia.

Emergency numbers for families requesting  information about victims of the Bali blasts:
Australia: 1800 002 214
NZ: 0800 432 111
UK: 00 62 361 270 572
US: (202) 647 5225/5226

Monday 14th October 2002

INDONESIA - Special Report

Investigation Begins as Death Toll Reaches 187 in Bali Terrorist Attack

By Jeremy Zakis, ERRI Analyst in Australia

The death toll from the bombing of Sari and Padi clubs in Denpasar on the holiday resort island of Bali rose to 187 on Monday, with hundreds still missing. Earlier that day, agents from the United States and Australia flew into the island resort to assist Indonesian authorities investigate who carried out the bombings, while medical evacuations from the resort-island to Australia continue.

Indonesian authorities told an Australian reporter from the Australian Broadcasting Commission (ABC) that the type of explosive used in the car bomb did not appear to be the type easily acquired in Indonesia. It was also revealed that the bomber was most probably a woman, based on eyewitness accounts.

Australian Prime Minister John Howard offered intelligence and police assistance to the Indonesian government and early Monday, Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) and Australian Federal Police (AFP) officers arrived on scene to begin their investigation.

Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, who has previously expressed concerns about the Islamic Jemaah Islamiyah, has stopped short of saying they are behind Saturday night's bombing until more conclusive evidence is produced.

The Jemaah Islamiyah group, founded by radical cleric Abu Bakar Bashir and run by Ridduan Isamuddin (a.k.a Hambali), is considered the Asian wing of al-Qaeda and has connections to almost every Islamic fundamentalist group in the region. They also have a close connection to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), who
according to Singaporean and Philippine intelligence, are expert at building bombs.

Indonesia President Megawati Sukarnoputri has visited the scene and promised a full investigation, but still refuses to act against Jemaah Islamiah without more evidence of their involvement. Sukarnoputri has in the past denied that Abu Bakar Bashir was linked to terrorism,  and earlier this year refused to hand him over to U.S. authorities for questioning about his position as an al-Qaeda leader.

U.S. President George W. Bush has reacted to the news in Bali by describing the acts as "heinous" and a reason to confront the "global menace" of terrorism.

Two Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) C-130 Hercules transport aircraft and the national Australian airline QANTAS are assisting with medical evacuations from Bali to Australia. At least 13 Australians are confirmed dead and 220 are still missing. U.S., British, Canadian and French nationals have been among those evacuated to the northern Australian city of Darwin to receive medical treatment.

INSTANT 09:00CDT/21:00 Jakarta Time - 13 Oct 2002

Update Indonesia: Worst Terrorism Events Since Sept. 11th, 2001

INDONESIA: At least 187 people were killed and about 300 others were wounded after a car bomb destroyed a crowded nightclub on the tourist island of Bali on Saturday. The devastating inferno killed a so-far undefined number of foreign nationals. Unconfirmed reports from the region suggest that an initial smaller explosion forced people to evacuate one or more drinking establishments and when they were all outside, a larger secondary explosion -- believed to be a car bomb -- detonated, causing massive casulties. ERRI analysts said that secondary devices are becoming a common terrorist tactic.

Officials said it was the worst terrorist act in Indonesia's history. According to the BBC, hospital officials estimate that 75% of the dead were foreigners, many of them Australians. The victims also included Britons, New Zealanders, Germans and Americans. No exact number of deceased among each nationality are available at the time of this report.

Authorities said a third bomb exploded near the island's U.S. consular office. Police said there were no casualties in that explosion, but the Embassy was on edge Sunday after its recreation club in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, was evacuated because of a bomb threat. ERRI analysts had previously warned of a potential for imminent attacks in Indonesia.

ERRI DAILY INTELLIGENCE REPORT-ERRI Risk Assessment Services-Sunday, October 13, 2002-Vol. 8, No. 286-09:05CDT

TODAY'S CENTRAL FOCUS

Indonesian Car Bomb Blast Leaves 187 Dead

INDONESIA: A devastating car bomb blast at a crowded nightclub on the Indonesian island of Bali has left at least 187 people dead. Hospital officials estimate that 75 percent of the dead victims were foreigners, among them Australians, Britons and Germans, with another 210 people reported injured. A doctor said many of the bodies brought into hospitals around the island's capital Denpasar were too badly burned to be identified.

Indonesia's police chief General Da'i Bachtiar said: "This is the worst act of terror in Indonesia's history." He did not speculate about who might be responsible.

Indonesia has appealed for international help, and the Australian air force is flying an emergency medical team to Bali.

The Sari Club in the resort of Kuta -- a nightspot popular with Western tourists -- was reduced to a pile of rubble by the blast, which also wrecked nearby discos, restaurants and a hotel. Cars and motorbikes parked outside the club became a wall of flame, blocking people's escape.

The explosion occurred at about 2330 hours local time (1530 GMT) on Saturday. No one has yet claimed responsibility for the attack. At about the same time of the attack on the nightclub, another bomb exploded near the US honorary consul in Denpasar, although nobody was injured.

A volunteer at a hospital near the scene of the car bombing said the incident had created "pandemonium, mayhem." One British tourist was in the bar of the Sari Club when the blast occurred. He said: "There was just complete panic in the bar with lots of people diving to the door trying to scramble over each other. Outside it was awful, it was like a scene you'd see from Vietnam. There were bodies every- where."

The US embassy in Jakarta had issued a series of warnings in recent weeks that Americans could be targeted by Islamic militants linked to the al-Qaeda terror group. The embassy itself closed for several days last month after intelligence reports indicated militant groups were planning car bomb attacks.

Indonesian officials have in the past denied that militants linked to al-Qaeda are active in the country. However, authorities in Malaysia and Singapore have claimed that members of a group known as Jemaah Islamiyah -- said to be seeking to set up an Islamic state in South East Asia - are based in Indonesia.

The blasts in Bali came just hours after a small hand-made bomb went off near the Philippine Consulate in the port city of Manado on the central island of Sulawesi, about 1,350 miles northeast of Jakarta.

Jemaah Islamiyah is an Indonesian-based terrorist network founded by Indonesian cleric Abu Bakar Bashir and led by Riduan Isamuddin (a.k.a Hambali). It is the affiliate for al-Qaeda in the Asian region and considered to be the second biggest terrorist network in the world.

On Christmas Eve 2000, JI bombed 18 churches in nine Philippine cities killing 18 people. In April this year, it helped coordinate three bombing attacks by the Abu Sayyaf terrorist group in the Philippine city of General Santos that killed 14 people.

In December 2001, 15 JI members from three terrorist cells were arrested by Singaporean authorities in the advanced stages of carrying out a plot to bomb the U.S., British, Australian and Israeli embassies in Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines and Indonesia. Late last month, another 20 JI members were arrested plotting multiple bombing attacks to coincide with the first anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks. Malaysia has arrested 62 terrorist suspects this year, most of them are believed to be JI.

The biggest operation undertaken by JI was in 2000 - 2001, when it employed a three-man team from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to set about procuring 22 tons of nitrates to build truck bombs, for the failed attack plot last December. All three were arrested and Philippine authorities seized about one ton of nitrates, which were in the process of being incorporated into explosive devices. About three tons was suspected to be still missing somewhere in the Philippines or Indonesia.

Jemaah Islamiyah operates by contracting for terrorist operations, the services of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (Philippines), Abu Sayyaf (Philippines), Laskar Jihad (Indonesia), Indonesian Islamic Liberation Front (Indonesia), Kumpulan Mujahideen Movement

(Malaysia) and Al Maunah (Malaysia) terrorist groups. Some Philippine analysts have speculated that the influential communist group the New People's Army also works with the network.

ERRI analysts suspect Bali was targeted because it is a "soft" target with western interest created by the burgeoning tourism industry. Until now, Bali has always been considered safe from regional tensions, despite the island resort being only 25 miles from Lombok, the January 17, 2000, flashpoint of Muslim-Christian violence in the region, which continues today. Although there have been a number of short but violent demonstrations in Bali, foreigners have never been targeted. Saturday night's bombings were the first terrorist attack to occur on the island-state.

The psychological objectives of the bombing in Bali were probably similar to those of al-Qaeda with the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States, to create a sense of feeling that no where in the world is safe from attack. Jemaah Islamiyah is attempting to create a central Islamic state based in Indonesia, with autonomous Islamic states in the Philippines and Malaysia. It has sought to achieve this by destabilizing regional governments with concerted terror campaigns using terrorist groups in the region.

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Sunday 13th October 2002

BALI: Special Report

ERRI Warns of Jemaah Islamiyah Involvement in Bali Terrorist Bombings

By Jeremy Zakis, ERRI Analyst in Australia

The Emergency Response and Research Institute (ERRI) is warning that the overnight bombings against night clubs and near the U.S. Consulate in Bali were possibly part of the Jemaah Islamiyah terrorist campaign being waged in the Asia Pacific region. Authorities in Denpasar, Bali, report 67 people were confirmed dead and at least 200 wounded following two bomb explosions on the Indonesian resort-island.

A car bomb exploded at 11:30pm local time on Saturday outside the Sari and Padi Clubs at the Kuta Beach followed by a second explosion in the city of Denpasar, 300 feet from the US Consulate. Bali authorities reported 27 buildings were destroyed within a mile (1.6 kilometers) radius from the first explosion. No casualties were reported from the second attack.

Police spokesman Lt. Col. Yatim Suyatno told international media that at least fifteen unidentified foreigners had been killed. The death toll is expected to rise above 150 as emergency workers gain access to the smoldering ruins.

Jemaah Islamiyah is an Indonesian-based terrorist network founded by Indonesian cleric Abu Bakar Bashir and led by Riduan Isamuddin (a.k.a Hambali). It is the affiliate for al-Qaeda in the Asian region and considered to be the second biggest terrorist network in the world.

On Christmas Eve 2000, JI bombed 18 churches in nine Philippine cities killing 18 people. In April this year, it helped coordinate three bombing attacks by the Abu Sayyaf terrorist group in the Philippine city of General Santos that killed 14 people.

In December 2001, 15 JI members from three terrorist cells were arrested by Singaporean authorities in the advanced stages of carrying out a plot to bomb the U.S., British, Australian and Israeli embassies in Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines and Indonesia. Late last month, another 20 JI members were arrested plotting multiple bombing attacks to coincide with the first anniversary of the September 11 attacks. Malaysia has arrested 62 terrorist suspects this year, most of them are believed to be JI.

The biggest operation undertaken by JI was in 2000 - 2001, when it employed a three-man team from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to set about procuring 22 tons of nitrates to build truck bombs, for the failed attack plot last December. All three were arrested and Philippine authorities seized about 1 ton of nitrates, which were in the process of being incorporated into explosive devices. About three tons was suspected to be still missing somewhere in the Philippines or Indonesia.

Jemaah Islamiyah operates by contracting for terrorist operations, the services of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (Philippines), Abu Sayyaf (Philippines), Laskar Jihad (Indonesia), Indonesian Islamic Liberation Front (Indonesia),
Kumpulan Mujahideen Movement (Malaysia) and Al Maunah (Malaysia) terrorist groups. Some Philippine analysts have speculated that the influential communist group the New People's Army also works with the network.

ERRI analysts suspect Bali was targeted because it is a "soft" target with western interest created by the burgeoning tourism industry. Until now, Bali has always been considered safe from regional tensions, despite the island resort being only 25 miles from Lombok, the January 17, 2000, flashpoint of Muslim-Christian violence in the region, which continues today. Although there have been a number of short but violent demonstrations in Bali, foreigners have never been targeted. Saturday night's bombings were the first terrorist attack to occur on the island-state.

The psychological objectives of the bombing in Bali were probably similar to those of al-Qaeda with the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States, to create a sense of feeling that no-where in the world is safe from attack. Jemaah Islamiyah is attempting to create a central Islamic state based in Indonesia, with autonomous Islamic states in the Philippines and Malaysia. It has sought to achieve this by destabilizing regional governments with concerted terror campaigns using terrorist groups in the region.

Foreigners Among the Bali Casualties

Australians, Britons, French and Canadians were staying at the Kuta Beach resort when the bombing occurred. Australian consular officials were on the scene Sunday attempting to ascertain how many Australian victims, many of whom were taking group tours, were victims in the attacks. Australian foreign minister Alexander Downer told
the Australian Broadcasting Commission's "Insiders" television show that about 40 Australians were hospitalized in Bali. Downer also said he expected a number of the dead would be Australians.

The New Zealand Foreign  Affairs Minister Phil Geoff confirmed one New Zealand national was injured in the nightclub attack.

Bali Bombing Latest in a Series of Regional Attacks

The bombing in Bali overnight occurred less than two weeks after the bombing of a Karaoke Bar in Zamboagna City, southern Philippines, which killed a U.S. Army Green Beret and three Filipinos. Abu Sayyaf terrorists, who often boast about their connections with al-Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiyah, were responsible for the attack and were
suspected to have attempted a similar attack against a public mini-van one week later, which failed.

Last Thursday, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and New People's Army (NPA), both connected to Jemaah Islamiyah, were suspected of killing eight people at a shopping mall bombing in North Cotabato city, central Mindanao Province in the southern Philippines.

Analysts believe al-Qaeda and possibly Jemaah Islamiyah were also behind an attack against the U.S. Embassy on September 24 in Jakarta, which failed when a grenade detonated prematurely, killing the bomber.

12:15CDT/00:15 Jakarta time - 12/13 Oct 2002

Multiple Explosions In Indonesia; At Least 20 Dead, 120 Wounded

 INDONESIA: A series of explosions have struck  popular tourist destinations on the Island of Bali today. According to local officials, at least three people are dead and at least 100 people had been wounded, including both Americans and Australians. One of the bombs reportedly exploded at a restaurant on Kuta Beach, a well-known tourist resort.  Exact and official casualty figures are not currently available, and the death toll may rise, rescue officials said. At least three detonations were believed to have happened

In possibly related news, a suspected bomb exploded in the front yard of the Philippines consulate in the Indonesian city of Manado on Saturday, causing some damage but no casualties in an attack that police officials blamed on terrorists. No one has claimed responsibility for any of the apparent terrorist acts in the region.

ERRI counter-terrorist analysts, who have been monitoring events in S. Asia very closely of late, and previously warned of a possible impending terror offensive, said that it is possible that the explosions are actually a coordinated series of events carried out by Islamic extremists who oppose close cooperation between the U.S. and Asian countries in the "War on Terrorism." ERRI's senior national security analyst, Clark Staten, said that additional terrorist attacks on U.S. citizens and interests, world-wide, are possible in the near term.

10 July 2002: Usama bin Laden Sought to Use Indonesia's Free Aceh Movement as New Base

12 Apr 2002--Emerging Asian Threat: Riduan Isamuddin (Hambali) -- The Next Terrorist Mastermind??

Series of EmergencyNet News Reports Concerning Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) extremist organization in S. E. Asia: 07 Jan 2002 to 23 Feb 2002

12 Jan 2002--Major Terrorist Plot in Singapore Discovered; al-Qaeda Believed Well Established in the Asian Region

ERRI Hotspot Report on Indonesia

ERRI Hotspot Report on the Philippines

© EmergencyNet News Service, 2002. All rights reserved. May not be redistributed or otherwise published without the expressed permission of ERRI/EmergencyNet News.

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