Warning issued on hotel bomb in Jakarta
The Australian Government has warned its citizens in Indonesia to prepare for a bombing attack aimed at the lobbies of hotels popular with Westerners.
The advice comes as part of Canberra's Parliament House was shut down yesterday, when a package containing white powder was sent to Foreign Minister Alexander Downer - just two days after a package of white powder closed down the Indonesian embassy there. Yesterday's material, and that at the Indonesian embassy, both turned out to be harmless.
Australia's embassy in Jakarta told Australians of an unusually specific warning issued yesterday by the US embassy there advising Americans to be prepared for an attack expected around noon on an unspecified date.
"The US embassy informs American citizens in Indonesia that the embassy has learned that as of June 1, 2005, there were plans by extremists to conduct bomb attacks targeting the lobbies of hotels frequented by Westerners in Jakarta," the US warning said.
"The attacks were to occur circa noon on an unspecified date. There is no additional information on the timing for the attack(s), or the method of attack."
The latest warning comes little more than a fortnight after the Government last updated its travel warning to Indonesia after receiving information from Indonesian police about possible suicide bombings in Jakarta.
A week ago two large bombs exploded in a market in Central Sulawesi, killing 22 people in the worst attack since the Bali bombings killed more than 200.
Police have yet to say who they believe carried out this latest attack, although they are questioning more than 12 people they suspect may be involved.
There has been a spate of reports that Malaysian terrorists, Noordin Mohammad Top and Dr Azahari Husin, who are blamed for the Bali bombings, may be about to carry out another attack.
In Canberra yesterday, federal police and Indonesian forensic specialists were seeking links between this week's two mail threats.
Yesterday's parcel was intercepted in Parliament House's mail room. It contained a sealed bag of white powder. Within minutes fire engines and other emergency vehicles arrived and blocked off the basement area containing the loading bay.
A woman working in the mail room was isolated and put through a decontamination process by hazardous materials officers before tests revealed the material was harmless.
The envelope sent to the Indonesian embassy - supposedly by someone aggrieved by Schapelle Corby's jailing - was posted in Victoria and contained an abusive note in Indonesian.
Police would not say yesterday where the second package was sent from, nor whether it contained any message.
"We are obviously investigating any links between this and the package that went to the Indonesian embassy earlier this week," Federal Police Commissioner Mick Keelty said.
