JAKARTA: Suicide bombers who checked in as guests smuggled explosives into American luxury hotels in Indonesia’s capital and set off a pair of blasts Friday that killed nine people and wounded more than 50. At least 18 foreigners were among the dead and wounded.
The blasts at the J.W. Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotels, located side-by-side in an upscale business district in Jakarta, blew out windows and scattered debris and glass across the street, kicking up a thick plume of smoke. Facades of both hotels were reduced to twisted metal.
The attackers evaded hotel security and smuggled explosives into the Marriott and assembled the bombs in a room on the 18th floor, where an un-detonated device was found after the blasts.
“They had been using the room as their ‘command post’ since July 15, and today they were supposed to check out,” police chief Gen. Bambang Hendarso Danuri told reporters. Two Australians and a New Zealander were believed to have been killed, but there was confusion about the exact number of victims. The Marriott was hosting a regular meeting of top foreign executives at major companies in Indonesia organized by consultancy firm CastleAsia, said the group.
Saudi Ambassador to Indonesia Abdul Rahman Al-Khayyat said the embassy is not aware of any Saudis among the dead or injured in the explosions. He appealed to Saudi citizens to cut short their movements in the city for the time being.
Suspicion will fall on the Southeast Asian militant group Jemaah Islamiah (JI) or its allies. The network is blamed for past attacks in Indonesia, including a 2003 bombing at the Marriott when 12 people died.
A local TV station captured the moment of the explosion in one of the hotels. The brief, grainy images showed a man in a cap walking across the lobby toward the restaurant with other hotel guests and then smoke filling the air.
“There was a big explosion followed by a shock wave,” said Ahmad Rochadi, a security guard at the Marriott who was checking cars in the basement. “I rushed upstairs and saw smoke billowing from the lobby.”
The Manchester United football team canceled a planned visit to Indonesia. The team had been scheduled to stay at the Ritz on Saturday and Sunday nights for a friendly match against the Indonesian All Stars, the Indonesian Football Association said.
Police suspect Malaysian-born extremist Noordin Mohammed Top may be behind the bombings. The former accountant is the chief ideologue of the JI’s most violent wing and is wanted for his alleged role in several attacks including bombings of Bali nightspots that killed 202 people in 2002.
