14/01/2005

Bomb threats close British and Thai embassies in Jakarta

The British and Thai embassies in the Indonesian capital Jakarta remained closed on Friday after authorities said that they had received "specific" bomb threats.

Indonesian police chief General Da'I Bachtair said that the threats had been in a mobile phone text message sent from a person who is suspected of being associated with Malaysian terror suspects Azahari bin Husin and Noordin Mohamed Top.

However, both deadlines for attacks on the embassies, 10pm yesterday and 10am today (Friday), have passed off without incident.

A bounty has been placed on the heads of Azahari and Noordin who are allegedly linked to terror group Jemaah Islamiyah.

The two are said to have been behind the bombings of the Australian embassy in September 2004 that killed 11 people, the attack on the Marriott hotel in Jakarta in August 2003 in which 12 people were killed, and the Bali bombing in October 2002 that killed 202 people.

British officials in Indonesia said that both the embassy and the associated consulate in Jakarta would remain closed and that no date for their reopening has yet been decided.

The Foreign Office in London has warned tourists and those intending to travel to Indonesia that the terror threat remains "high".

In a statement on the website the Foreign Office said: "There remains a high threat from terrorism in Indonesia. We continue to receive reports that terrorists in Indonesia are planning further attacks on Westerners and Western interests. Attacks could occur at any time, anywhere in Indonesia, including locations frequented by foreigners. The terrorists have shown in previous attacks that they have the means and the motivation to carry out successful attacks."

In Jakarta today, a heightened police presence around both diplomatic missions remained in evidence and international hotels were also warned to remain on high alert as possible targets of an attack.

Earlier this week the British Foreign Secretary meet with his Indonesian counterpart Dr Hassan Wijuda in Jakarta to discuss the tsunami relief and reconstruction programme in the affected Asia-Pacific nations.

It is not thought that the closure of the British mission in Jakarta will hamper aid relief in the area.

(SP)

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