10/22/2008, 00.00
INDONESIA
Send to a friend

Bali on maximum alert for fear of attacks

by Mathias Hariyadi
Indonesian police foil attack against a huge fuel depot north of Jakarta. State of alert is due to pending execution of 2002 Bali terrorists whose action killed 202 people.
Jakarta (AsiaNews) – Indonesian police are on alert in Bali. Security forces are on maximum alert after foiling an attack against a fuel depot north of the capital. The operation, carried out yesterday, allowed police to identify seven suspects, five of whom were arrested.  Wahyu Ramadhan, a senior Islamist operative who was on the country’s special anti-terrorism squad’s most wanted list, was among them.

Investigators found ammunition and explosives in the house Wahyu used as his base of operation. The explosive material they discovered was destined for a terrorist attack set to take place this afternoon against a fuel depot in Plumpang.

Had it been carried out, both the capital and the whole island of Java would have been thrown into chaos.

Some Indonesian security experts also believe that Kalimantan and Sulawesi Islands would have also been seriously affected by the lack of fuel produced in Petramina’s Plumpang plant.

According to police, the terrorists had been planning the attack for quite some time, hiding out in Kelapa Gading district, an area north of Jakarta, just a few kilometres from the target. But agents had been on their trail for some months.

In a statement the deputy spokesman of the police, Brigadier General Sulistyo Ishak, said the terrorists belonged to the Kompak terror group which “has strong ties to other groups in Singapore like Jemaah Islamiyah, Jundullah and Negara Islam Indonesia, which are working together to set up an Islamic state in Indonesia.”

The police decision to sound the alarm in Bali is also connected to the pending execution of the men responsible for a 2002 attack.

Time and place for the execution of the three Islamist militants will be made public by Friday.

Meanwhile Indonesian police has deployed more forces in the Cilacap district and in Bali ahead of the event. The level of security has also been raised in Wijaya Pura harbour, which is crossed by ferries to Nusakambangan Prison where Amrozi, Imam Samudra and Ali Ghufron are detained.

Of concern to police is also the fact that Kuta, one of Bali Island’s most famous tourist resorts, is hosting the Asian Beach Games.

Similarly, law enforcement authorities are aware that repeatedly during their trial the three men condemned for the attack and their supporters had made threats.

TAGs
Send to a friend
Printable version
CLOSE X
See also
Jakarta, maximum alert ahead of imminent execution of Bali terrorists
03/11/2008
Final preparations for the execution of Bali bombers
24/07/2008
Bali remembers the 2002 bombing victims
12/10/2007
Execution date for Bali bombing defendants to be announced in a few days time
15/10/2008
"Not repentant and never will,” say three Bali bombers whose execution is near
14/10/2008


Newsletter

Subscribe to Asia News updates or change your preferences

Subscribe now
“L’Asia: ecco il nostro comune compito per il terzo millennio!” - Giovanni Paolo II, da “Alzatevi, andiamo”