Nine people killed in blasts at Jakarta luxury hotels

Two powerful explosions hit the JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotels Friday morning in the Indonesian capital, killing at least nine people and injuring dozens of others, police and the security minister said.
Six bodies were found in Jakara's Marriott hotel, two in the nearby Ritz-Carlton and another victim died in hospital after the blasts, which took place during the hotels' busy breakfast time, chief security minister Widodo Adisucipto said.Four foreigners were killed, including the president of the local unit of Swiss cement maker Holcim Ltd, Timothy Mackay, local media reported.More than 40 people were injured in the blasts and were taken to nearby hospitals, Widodo said.Television footage showed severely injured victims, including foreigners, being taken out of the Marriott hotel.Smoke was rising from the hotels, and glass from broken windows and other debris were scattered on the ground.Jakarta police spokesman Chrysnanda, who like many Indonesians uses only one name, confirmed that the blasts came from "high-explosive bombs.""An investigation is under way by bomb experts," he said.The first explosion hit the Ritz-Carlton, destroying its facade, and the second blast hit a restaurant in the nearby Marriott a few minutes later."I was having a breakfast in the nearby restaurant when I heard a very strong blast," said Intan, an officer worker."I saw several foreigners covered in blood taken out of the hotel," she told the TV One channel.The hotels, connected by an underground tunnel and located in a business and diplomatic district, were popular with foreigners as a venue for business meetings because they were thought to be well-protected.The blast was the second bombing on the Jakarta Marriott. In August 2003, a militant drove a bomb-laden truck into the lobby of the hotel and set it off, killing 12 people and injuring 150."The only group that has the ability to carry out such attacks is Jemaah Islamiyah," terrorism expert Rohan Gunaratna told Channel News Asia.Until Friday, Indonesia had not had a major bombing since October 2005 when militants belonging to Jemaah Islamiyah, a regional terrorist group affiliated with al-Qaeda, blew themselves up at three restaurants in Bali, killing 20 people.Jamaah Islamiyah is also blamed for the October 2002 Bali bombings, which killed 202 people, mostly foreign holidaymakers.Analysts have said that the group's violent faction has been severely weakened after the arrest of scores of operatives in recent years but determined militants were still capable of mounting a deadly attack.Meanwhile, a car caught fire near a toll road gate in northern Jakarta, leaving two people dead, but it appeared to be an accident and unrelated to the blasts, Metro TV reported.The hotel bombings came a little more than a week after the July 9 presidential election, in which incumbent Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono appeared set to win a second five-year term although the final results have yet to be officially confirmed.Yudhoyono has been credited with restoring security after a spate of deadly attacks blamed on Jemaah Islamiyah since the start of the decade.Presidential spokesman Andi Mallarangeng said Yudhoyono would make a statement later in the day."This is something very disconcerting," Mallarangeng told Metro TV.English Premier League champions Manchester United were due to stay at the Ritz-Carlton for their friendly match with an Indonesian All Stars side Monday.

Source: The Nation