Yahoo! News News Home - Yahoo! - Help

AP
Welcome, guest Personalize News Home Page   -   Sign Out
Yahoo! News   Tue, Aug 05, 2003
Search    for     Advanced
News Front Page
Top Stories
Business
World
   Middle East
   Europe
   Latin America
   Africa
Asia
   Canada
   Australia/Antarctica
Most Popular
Entertainment
Sports
Technology
Politics
Science
Health
Oddly Enough
Op/Ed
Lifestyle
Local
Comics
News Photos
Most Popular
Weather
Audio/Video
Full Coverage
Lottery
Crosswords
News for Kids

Full Coverage
More about
Indonesia
Related News Stories
Bomb wrecks top Jakarta hotel BBC (Aug 5, 2003)
White House Condemns Jakarta Bombing AP (Aug 5, 2003)
13 Die in Car Bombing Near Jakarta Hotel AP (Aug 5, 2003)
Opinion & Editorials
Megawati's anniversaries reveal her vision Asia Times Online (Jul 31, 2003)
Oil and religion mix WorkingForChange (Jul 30, 2003)
Impunity in Indonesia Washington Post (Jul 28, 2003)
Feature Articles
Analysis: Blast's likely suspects BBC (Aug 5, 2003)
Our No. 1 terror suspect The Age (Jul 29, 2003)
Related Web Sites
Department of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia
Profile: Megawati Sukarnoputri
Indonesia's Dirty Little Holy War

News Resources
Providers
· AP
· Reuters India
· AFP Asia
· AFP South Asia
News Alerts
· earthquake
· Jakarta stock exchange
· Afghanistan
· Gloria Macapagal Arroyo
· Kofi Annan
Services
· Daily Emails
· Free News Alerts

 
World - AP Asia
Bombing at Marriott in Jakarta Kills 13
1 hour, 2 minutes ago

By STEVEN GUTKIN, Associated Press Writer

JAKARTA, Indonesia - A suspected suicide bombing at the Marriott Hotel created lunchtime carnage in Jakarta's business district Tuesday, killing 13 people and wounding 149, setting cars afire and scattering glass shards for blocks in a bloody reminder of the continuing threat of terrorism in the world's most populous Muslim nation.

Photo
AP Photo

AFP Photo
AFP
Slideshow Slideshow: Terrorist Bombing at Jakarta Hotel

AP Video Terrorist Bomb Strikes Hotel in Jakarta
(AP Video)
 

The blast came two days before a verdict in the trial of a key suspect in the Bali nightclub bombings last Oct. 12 that killed 202 people, many of them foreigners. A Dutch banker was among the dead Tuesday, and at least 10 foreigners, including two Americans, were reported injured.

The attack occurred on the first day of testimony in another bombing case by the alleged leader of Jemaah Islamiyah, which has been blamed for the Bali bombings. Authorities have linked the group to al-Qaida and say it hopes to create an Islamic state across Southeast Asia.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the Marriott bombing.

The governor of Jakarta, Sutiyoso, said the attack was "very likely" carried out by a suicide bomber. The national police chief, Gen. Da'i Bachtiar, said the van carrying the bomb was moving at the time of the explosion.

World leaders expressed horror and outrage. The White House called it a "deplorable attack on innocent civilians" and declared its support for the Indonesian government's fight against terrorism.

The Marriott — a frequent site for U.S. Embassy functions and a popular destination for foreigners — was shattered just after noon when the bomb exploded on the driveway leading to its front entrance.

The blast smashed many windows in the 33-story hotel and smoke from burning cars blackened the outside of lower floors. The lobby ceiling caved in on charred sofas and overturned tables.

"Women ran out of the hotel screaming, 'Help! Help!'" said Supria, a construction worker. He said rescuers used fire extinguishers to douse people engulfed in flames.

"I thought a plane must have hit the building," said office worker Iin, who like many Indonesians uses a single name.

Inside a ground-floor restaurant at an adjacent building, half-eaten pasta dishes sat on tables covered in broken glass. At an abandoned Marriott restaurant, a table held a plate of fish, salad and corn on the cob, alongside bottles of Hunt's ketchup and extra hot chili sauce.

Ceiling and wall panels lay in the street outside the hotel. The blast damaged the embassies of Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark in the adjacent Rajawali building, but no staffers were injured, officials said.

"People were screaming, panicking," said Sodik, a witness. "I thought it was an earthquake (news - web sites)."

Puddles of blood and broken glass could be seen for two blocks around the Marriott. The Indonesian Red Cross put the death toll at 13 and said 149 people were wounded.

In Washington, State Department spokesman Philip T. Reeker said no Americans were killed. He said one of the two injured Americans was hospitalized with burns and the other was treated and released. Their identities were not released.

It was just under 10 months ago that suspected Islamic militants blew up two nightclubs on the idyllic island of Bali and catapulted Indonesia into the front lines of the international war on terrorists.

The government has won praise for its efforts to crack down on extremists and bring those responsible for the Bali attacks to justice. In recent months, tourism and foreign investment had begun to rebound, and the U.S. Embassy in April gave permission for staffers to bring back their families.

 

All that has now been thrown into question.

The Indonesian currency, the rupiah, fell more than 2 percent Tuesday and the Jakarta stock exchange (news - web sites) closed 3.1 percent lower. Businesses and hotels reported immediate cancellations.

"This is another very, very tragic event for Indonesia's efforts of recovery," said Anders Backman of the Swedish Embassy.

Bachtiar, the police chief, said officials suspected the bomb was carried in an Indonesian-made Kijang van. He said its chassis number had been found along with the vehicle's registration number.

"From the things we found at the crime scene it looks very much like the bomb in Bali," Bachtiar said. "The situation is like it was in Bali."

Suspicions immediately pointed toward Jemaah Islamiyah.

The group's alleged leader, Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Bashir, took the stand for the first time Tuesday at his trial on treason charges tied to Christmas Eve church bombings in 2000. Testifying before the Marriott explosion, he admitted giving his blessing to Islamic militants who trained in the Philippines and in Afghanistan (news - web sites) in the 1990s.

Bashir, however, denies any link to terrorism.

About three dozen people suspected of belonging to Jemaah Islamiyah have been arrested in the Bali blasts and could be executed if convicted.

Having seen the economic fallout from the Bali bombings, Indonesian leaders moved quickly Tuesday to bolster security.

Security minister Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said the government had ordered strict security checks at the airport and other public places, and said officials would announce even stronger security measures Wednesday.

Calling the blast a "diabolical and inhumane terrorist attack," he added: "We cannot allow any space for terrorism."

President Megawati Sukarnoputri toured the wreckage and visited the wounded at a hospital. On Friday, she gave a state-of-the-nation address calling militants "a terrifying threat" and vowing to "dismantle the terrorist network to its roots."

Among world leaders, Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (news - web sites) condemned the bombing as a "dastardly act." German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer sent Indonesia his "deepest sympathies."

White House spokesman Scott McClellan said it was a "a deplorable attack on innocent civilians."

"We stand fully prepared to assist in any way possible to bring those responsible to justice," McClellan said. He wouldn't say whether that included sending in American investigators.

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan (news - web sites) called the attack "senseless killing."

"Every attempt should be made to arrest its perpetrators and hold them accountable," he said.

Australian Prime Minister John Howard, who stayed at the Marriott recently and whose country lost 88 citizens in the Bali blasts, offered to send investigators.

"If, as it appears likely, it is a terrorist attack, it is yet another reminder that the fight against JI (Jemaah Islamiyah) and other groups goes on and it will be a fight that will take years and require the cooperation of all of the agencies in the region," Howard said.

Among the dead was Dutch citizen Hans Winkelmolen, 49, who was winding up a three-year assignment as president of PT Radobank Duta Indonesia, a subsidiary of the Dutch cooperative bank Radobank. He was eating in Marriott's restaurant with his successor, Tony Costa, when the bomb went off, company spokesman Jan Dost said. Costa was hospitalized.


Mail to Friend  Email Story
Message Boards   Post/Read Msgs (4108)
Printer Version   Print Story
Ratings: Would you recommend this story?
Not at all 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 Highly


Special Feature

Gear Up for Back to School
Do your homework - get the perfect PC for your scholar


Next Story: Bombing at Marriott in Jakarta Kills 13  (AP)

More World - Asia Stories
· Bhutto and husband sentenced in Switzerland after graft inquiry  (AFP)
· Swiss magistrate convicts Benazir Bhutto  (Reuters)
· Putin eyes more Asian markets after Malaysia arms deal  (AFP)
· India, Pakistan to begin flight resumption talks  (AFP)
· U.S. contractor killed in Iraq landmine blast  (Reuters)


Weekly Specials ADVERTISEMENT
· Shop & Compare for Term Life Insurance with ReliaQuote
· Got $10k past due TAX debt? We Negotiate w/ Uncle Sam
· http://rd.yahoo.com/M=252234.3193054.4505220.1472244/D=news/S=84920061:T/A=1693373/R=0/SIG=12431qe3f/*http://www.service1mortgage.com/yahoo_news/refinance_mortgage.html
· Car Payment too High Because of Your Credit? Refinance Today!
· Check out Toyota's quality cars, trucks and SUVs at toyota.com..
· FREE 3 Room DIRECTV System, Free Shipping Plus $100 instant rebate
· Register today to manage your polices at statefarm.com®.
· Refinance NOW and GET CASH! Lower Your Rate!
· Stop Snoring Now - Sleep Better Tonight
· Don't Pay Retail! Save up to 70% on Printer Ink - Click Here
ADVERTISEMENT


Copyright © 2003 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
Copyright © 2003 Yahoo! Inc. All rights reserved.
Questions or Comments
Privacy Policy -Terms of Service - Copyright Policy - Ad Feedback