Bali Explosions Spur al-Qaida Fears
Sun Oct 13, 2:12 PM ET
By IRWAN FIRDAUS, Associated Press Writer
BALI, Indonesia (AP) - Terrified tourists tried Sunday to flee this
island paradise that turned into an inferno, with the death toll from
a pair of bombings climbing to 187 and fears growing that al-Qaida has
taken its terror campaign to the world's largest Muslim country.
Many of those killed by the two bombs that tore through a nightclub
district on Bali island Saturday were Australians as well as other
foreigners from Canada, Britain, Germany and Sweden. Three Americans
were among the more than 300 people injured.
No one claimed responsibility for the bombings — the worst terrorist
attack in Indonesia's history — but suspicion turned to al-Qaida and
an affiliated group, Jemaah Islamiyah, which wants to establish a
pan-Islamic state across Malaysia, Indonesia and the southern
Philippines. It is accused of plotting to blow up the U.S. and other
embassies in Singapore.
In Washington, President Bush (news - web sites) condemned the attack
as "a cowardly act designed to create terror and chaos" and offered
U.S. help in finding the perpetrators.
"The world must confront this global menace, terrorism," he said.
The attacks were on the second anniversary of the al-Qaida-linked
attack against USS Cole (news - web sites) off Yemen that left 17
sailors dead and took place amid signs of increasing terrorist
activity that had led to the closure of U.S. embassies and renewed
terror alerts for Americans.
The destruction started when a small homemade bomb exploded outside
Paddy's Discotheque in the maze of clubs and bars on Kuta Beach, a
popular haunt with young travelers. Shortly afterward, a huge blast
from a bomb in a Toyota Kijang, a jeep-like vehicle, 30 yards down the
street devastated the crowded Sari Club, a surfers' hangout.
A third, smaller bomb exploded outside the U.S. consulate. No one was
injured in that blast.
The second blast ripped into the open-air bar, triggering a massive
burst of flames that officials said was caused by the explosion of gas
cylinders used for cooking. The explosion collapsed the roof of the
flimsy structure, trapping revelers in flaming wreckage. The
explosions and fire damaged about 20 buildings and devastated much of
the block.
Identification of the dead was slow, since some were burned beyond
recognition.
American Amos Libby, 25, felt himself lifted off his feet as he walked
by the Sari Club as the bomb detonated.
"All the buildings in the vicinity just collapsed, cars overturned and
debris from the buildings fell on them," he said, without giving his
hometown. "I have never seen anything so horrible. There were so many
people, 18 to 20 year olds, people in pieces all over the street."
New Zealander Lonny McDowell, 25, was at Paddy's when the blast blew
chairs and concrete through the bar. He said he saw a man with no legs
and another with a cable stuck through his stomach.
"Who knows if this couldn't happen again? I really don't want to go
back to Kuta," he said looking for his airline ticket home.
Indonesian National Police Chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar called the it "the
worst act of terror in Indonesia's history."
President Megawati Sukarnoputri flew to Bali and wept as she toured
the wreckage. Asked about a possible link to al-Qaida, she said: "That
will be continuously investigated to that this can be uncovered as
soon as possible." She promised to cooperate with other nations to
fight terror.
U.S. Ambassador Ralph Boyce told The Associated Press that it was not
possible yet to pin the Bali attack on al-Qaida, but noted that
increasing evidence in recent weeks has confirmed al-Qaida's presence
in Indonesia and reaching out to local extremists.
"In recent weeks, we have been able to put an end to a year of
speculation as to whether al-Qaida might be in Indonesia, or
relocating to Indonesia, or using Indonesia as a base of operations,
after the fall of Afghanistan (news - web sites)," Boyce said.
The United States and Indonesia's neighbors have urged Jakarta for
months to pass an anti-terrorism law that has been languishing in the
Parliament contending there is a strong al-Qaida presence here.
Without the law, Indonesia says, security forces cannot arrest
suspects without clear evidence they have committed a crime.
While its neighbors have arrested scores of militants from Jemaah
Islamiyah, Jakarta has done little and denied that it is a haven for
terrorists.
"This horrible incident has only made it that much more urgent that
they find some way to deal with this problem," Boyce said. "They
(Indonesians) are in the middle of doing that."
The U.S. Embassy was considering scaling back staff, though no
decision had been taken. Americans were warned on the Embassy Web site
to consider leaving the country.
In Denpasar, Bali's main city, the airport was thronged by stunned,
mostly young travelers cutting short their vacations and desperate to
go home after the most terrifying night of their lives.
Crowds camped out near a McDonald's, working their mobile phones to
make hard-to-get airline bookings. Many spent the night on the beach,
terrified after the blasts to go near built-up areas.
The Australian air force set up a massive evacuation operation to
bring home survivors for medical treatment. The first flight arrived
Sunday in the northern city of Darwin, carrying 15 people identified
as America, Australian and Canadian.
Australians were shocked by the attacks. Bali is a popular tourist
destination, and 20,000 Australians were estimated to be on the
island. Seven of the 24 dead identified by Sunday evening were Australian.
Australian Prime Minister John Howard vowed to urgently review
national security but said that staunch support for the United States
in the war on terror would not be affected.
"This is a huge national tragedy for Australia and for Australians,"
he said.
Howard said the attack appeared to target Australian and other Western
travelers.
Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said Australian officials didn't
know who was behind the bombings, "but the organization we've been
very concerned about in Indonesia ... is called Jemaah Islamiyah, and
it has certainly been responsible for terrorist attacks over the years."
Several countries have pressed Indonesia to arrest Jemaah Islamiyah's
alleged leader, Abu Bakar Bashir. But Indonesia says it has no
evidence. Bashir has sympathizers in Megawati's government.
Paul Wilkinson, chairman of the Center for the Study of Terrorism and
Political Violence at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, said
he believed the attacks were probably the work of "a cell of an
organization closely affiliated to al-Qaida."
He mentioned Jemaah Islamiya as such a group. "What it underlines is
that the network of al-Qaida is still capable of extremely deadly and
devastating attacks and has a global reach," he said.
In Germany, the Foreign Ministry said that five Germans were badly
injured and two slightly. One German resident of Bali was missing.
Germany urged its citizens to avoid going to Bali.
In September, the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta closed for six days due to
threats linked to al-Qaida. Other regional U.S. embassies also closed.
The Philippines disclosed that Washington feared attacks using truck
bombs.
Last month, a grenade exploded in a car near a house belonging to the
U.S. Embassy in Jakarta, killing the man suspected of handling it. The
Indonesia government blamed it on a feud between gangs.
-- Anonymous, October 13, 2002
Sunday, 13 October, 2002, 13:48 GMT 14:48 UK
Australians in shock after Bali attack
The lists of the missing are changing all the time
By Dominic Hughes
BBC correspondent in Sydney
This Bali bomb attack has come as an enormous shock to the Australian
public, as friends and relatives of the hundreds of people visiting
the Indonesian island anxiously wait for news.
Australians are accustomed to viewing themselves as insulated from
dangers faced elsewhere in the world by virtue of the country's
remoteness.
But the Prime Minister John Howard, with his voice close to breaking,
has warned that the country must now prepare itself for the worst.
"There are many Australians unaccounted for, many... We must therefore
prepare ourselves as a nation for a significant number of Australian
deaths," he said.
Opposition leader Simon Crean echoed the sentiments of many when he
expressed his distress following news of the attack.
"I'm shocked and horrified at this outrageous and reckless killing
of innocent people. It just goes to show how vulnerable people can be."
Emotional returns
Already some Bali tourists have returned to Sydney, where there were
tearful reunions with anxious family members.
And local radio shows have been carrying interviews with people who
had managed to contact survivors, some of whom had required medical
treatment.
The island of Bali is a hugely popular destination for thousands of
young Australian holiday makers, who view it as one of the safest
resorts in South East Asia. They flock to the beaches and bars of the
many resorts that have been established to cater for what had been a
flourishing tourist industry.
At this time of year many Australian sports teams also visit Bali to
celebrate the end of their domestic seasons.
Some players from rugby league and Australian rules football teams are
feared to be among the victims.
Vulnerable
There have been warnings in recent weeks that Australians could be
vulnerable to attack. On the anniversary of the 11 September 2001
attacks, the Australian embassy in East Timor was closed after such a
warning.
In December of last year the Australian High Commission in Singapore
was also believed to have been a target in an attack that was foiled
by police.
But for the general public, many of these warnings will have passed
them by.
Australia is a country that has been blessedly free from terrorist
attacks.
The last serious incident on Australian soil was the bombing of the
Sydney Hilton Hotel in 1978 in which three people died.
But there has never been anything on this scale and no-one would
have believed that so many Australians could be targeted in one go.
That has now changed - and the Australian public are now aware that
they are equally vulnerable to violent, unexpected tragedy.
-- Anonymous, October 13, 2002