Jakarta (AsiaNews/Agencies)  -  A powerful bomb exploded outside the Australian embassy in Jakarta on Thursday, killing at least 8 people and leaving more than 100 wounded, local sources.

The blast left a large crater in the ground and damaged nearby buildings and motor vehicles. It blast took place at about 10:30 local time (0330GMT), in Kuningan, a residential district in the south of the city. No one inside the heavily fortified embassy was wounded, but local security officials said an Indonesian security guard manning a post outside the gate was among the six people who died in the explosion.

Although it was unclear who was responsible for the attack, in the past several years Indonesia has been hit by a series of deadly bombings of Western targets by militants belonging to Jemaah Islamiyah, a Southeast Asian network linked to al-Qaida.

In August 2003, 12 people died in a bomb blast outside Jakarta's Marriott hotel - close to the spot of Thursday's explosion. In October 2002, 202 people died in twin bombings on the island of Bali.

In the past months, Australian intelligence warned that JI is adopting new tactics finalised to the assassination of foreign citizens, particularly Western diplomats and businessmen.