A single suicide bomber responsibility for the Australian embassy blast in Jakarta
Indonesian police have re-enacted scenes from the bombing that killed nine people outside the Australian embassy, an attack that triggered outrage from ordinary Indonesians visiting the site. The Australian flag was fluttering at full-mast on Sunday at the embassy, where a temporary wooden wall has been erected in front of the metal security fence blasted apart by Thursday's attack. Police suspect militant Islamic network Jemaah Islamiah, who they believe to be the regional arm of al Qaeda, carried out the bombing in the capital of the most populous Muslim nation. Thousands of Indonesians used their Sunday holiday to look at the site, surrounded by office buildings whose glass fronts had been torn off by the force of the blast. Traffic was heavy all day, slowing to a crawl as drivers and passengers took in the scene. Wreaths of flowers with messages of sympathy lined the embassy wall, and after darkness fell, a group of more than 30 Indonesians each carried a single red rose to the site, informs Reuters. According to the Herald Sun, Australian Federal Police Commissioner Mick Keelty today said it was possible a single suicide bomber was responsible for the Australian embassy blast in Jakarta. He also said the identification of the chassis number of the truck used in last week's deadly attack was a vital clue. "In the last few days the chassis number of the vehicle used in the bombings has been discovered," he said on ABC radio. "People might recall that that was one of the early leads in the Bali bombing that led to the identification of those responsible, so we are hoping that that will be the case on this occasion." Mr Keelty said the latest estimates showed 10 people had died in last week's blast, including seven men and two women, all of whom had been identified as Indonesians. He said it was possible the 10th person was the suicide bomber, which meant there was only one attacker, not two or more as originally thought. The Foreign Affairs Ministry has strengthened travel warnings to Indonesia but has been criticised for reacting too slowly to Thursday's bomb blast in Jakarta. The ministry recommended yesterday against all essential travel to Indonesia, after refusing on Friday to match Australia's stronger warning. It initially advised Kiwis only to take extreme care in the region. Officials said the decision was made "in light of uncertainties about security in the aftermath of the (Australian) embassy bombing". Australian authorities say terrorists are planning another attack. The director of Centre for Strategic Studies at Victoria University, Peter Cozens, said Foreign Affairs' initial response was inadequate. Travellers should have been warned straight away not to go, he said. "The ministry's reaction has been tardy. Why they haven't done it (before) is quite extraordinary." The beefed-up warning follows advice at the weekend by Prime Minister Helen Clark that the risk in Indonesia was too high and that New Zealanders should stay away. Miss Clark said yesterday that developments at the weekend necessitated the upgraded travel warning. "There's now greater currency being given to suggestions that the group responsible for the Australian embassy bombings could be planning further attacks." Jakarta-based Kiwi Daniel Eaton said yesterday that security in the city had been tightened and he did not feel under any greater threat, publishes the STAFF.
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