October 12, 2002 11:58 PM, Laksamana.Net - A bomb exploded in front of the Philippine Consulate in Manado, North Sulawesi, on Saturday (12/10/02), damaging part of the building but there were no immediate reports of any injuries.

The explosion occurred at about 7pm, shattering the building’s front windows and blowing off the compound’s main gate.

Police suspect the device was a home-made bomb, while Philippine consul general Renaldi Martinez blamed terrorists for the attack but did not mention any names.

Predominantly Christian Manado, located on the northern tip of Sulawesi, is one of the main transit points for sea traffic between Indonesia and the southern Philippines.

A Manila court in July sentenced alleged Indonesian terrorist Agus Dwikarna to 10-17 years in jail for possession of C4 plastic explosives.

The Philippine Embassy in Jakarta subsequently beefed up security, fearing that Dwikarna’s fanatical followers would attempt to seek vengeance for his conviction.

In August 2000 a bomb exploded outside the Central Jakarta residence of Philippine Ambassador Leonides Caday, killing two people and seriously injuring the ambassador.

Dwikarna, who now faces charges in connection with the Jakarta blast and a series of bombings that killed 22 people in Manila in December 2000, leads a paramilitary Islamic group called Laskar Jundullah.

He also heads a chapter of Islamic Propagation Council (Dewan Dakwah Islamiyah - DDI) and is reportedly fourth in command of the Indonesian Mujahidin Council (MMI), which has been linked to Osama bin Laden’s Al-Qaeda network.

Dwikarna was reportedly close to senior Al-Qaeda operative, Kuwaiti national Omar al-Faruq, who was arrested in West Java in June and handed over to the US.

Dwikarna's supporters, most of whom are from his home province of South Sulawesi, have been urging the government to sever relations with the Philippines.

Several Indonesian legislators have demanded the government take diplomatic measures to have Dwikarna's sentence reduced.

-- Anonymous, October 12, 2002