http://www.gulfnews.com/world/Indonesia/10332777.html
Jakarta attacks may be linked to Bali bombers: official
Bloomberg
Published: July 19, 2009, 10:56
Jakarta: The bombings at the Jakarta JW Marriott and Ritz Carlton hotels
that killed nine people, including two suspected attackers, are probably linked
with the mastermind of the 2002 Bali blasts, an Indonesian official said.
The attacks two days ago bear the hallmark of tactics and explosive
devices used by Malaysian terrorist Noordin Mohammad Top, said Ansyaad Mbai,
who coordinates Indonesian counter-terrorism efforts. Police identified one of
the bombers, and determined that both were members of Jemaah Islamiyah, which
the government blames for the Bali attacks, Agence France-Presse reported
Sunday, citing national police spokesman Nanan Soekarna.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono kept the nation of 227 million people
free of attacks for four years by capturing militants and giving tuition aid
for the children of reformed terrorists. Top, a former member of a group linked
to Al Qaida, was probably looking for the right moment to strike, such as the
presidential election and a planned trip by the Manchester United Football
Club, said Mbai.
"They wanted to send a strong message to show that their capability and
spirit remains strong," Mbai, who isn't directly involved in the
investigations, said yesterday in an interview in Jakarta. "Using the
Manchester United event, they wanted to attract international attention."
The British soccer team scrapped its first trip to Indonesia because of
the attacks, which came nine days after the presidential elections. Yudhoyono,
a 59-year-old former general, was re-elected with 62 percent of the votes,
according to the latest tally by the election commission.
Investigators are trying to determine which group sent the two suicide
bombers to the hotels, where they stayed as guests before making the attacks,
Indonesian Police Chief Bambang Hendarso Danuri told reporters July 17.
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