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| Southeast Asia |
| Indonesia on alert after warnings of terrorist attack |
| 2004-12-16 |
| Indonesia was on high alert after British and Australian warnings of a terrorist attack before Christmas amid fears that Islamic militants wanted for the Bali bombings are poised to strike again. Police in the world's largest Muslim-populated country said an operation had been launched for the festive period with thousands of extra men deployed to prevent attacks in a period previously targeted by Islamic extremists. Canberra warned of a possible attack on a Hilton hotel. Security chiefs in Jakarta said they were preparing for more strikes by two fugitive Malaysians believed to be behind a series of blasts in the country. Former professor Azahari Husin is accused of building the bombs used in all three attacks, allegedly coordinated with the help of recruiting expert Noordin Mohammad Top. They are suspected to be leading members of the Al-Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiyah, which has staged a series of attacks in recent years. Indonesian national police spokesman Paiman said the pair could be planning an attack in the pre-Christmas period. "During this festive season we have launched an operation codenamed Lilin (candle) to deal with, among other things, terrorist bombings," Paiman told AFP. "Therefore we treat the Australian warning of a possible terrorist attack as useful information and such threat has been anticipated," he added. He declined to say whether police had specific information about an imminent attack. On Wednesday Australia said it had received intelligence suggesting an impending terrorist strike in Indonesia, possibly targeting one of three Hilton hotels located in Jakarta, the second city of Surabaya and Bali. Before the latest alerts, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had ordered the deployment of extra police to safeguard churches across the country following recent attacks on Christian worshippers on Sulawesi island. Indonesia was hit by a wave of bomb attacks on 38 churches or priests on Christmas Eve 2000 in which 19 people perished. Those attacks have also been blamed on Jemaah Islamiyah. Australian Defence Minister Robert Hill was due to arrive in Indonesia for a two-day visit Thursday during which he will meet Yudhoyono. It was not known if the recent warnings were related to his trip. |
| Posted by:Seafarious |