The damage inflicted by a bomb blast on a restaurant of the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Jakarta. — Reuters pic
The discovery was made during a raid on an illegal Indonesian immigrant settlement in Desa Sri Hartamas, which is near the city court complex, other government buildings and housing areas with a large expatriate population.
Explosives found included six sticks of industrial grade explosives known by the brand name Emulex and also wire detonators.
Emulex is commonly used in tunnel boring, quarrying and also road construction. The explosives were found hidden beneath one of the houses in the settlement.
Also found were at the settlement were knives, sickles, swords and machetes.
Most of the residents in the settlement managed to escape arrest, however, except for three illegals, including a woman.
Police are now investigating if terrorists were living in the settlement.
Security officials here have been on heightened alert since last month’s suicide bombings at two luxury hotels in Jakarta which were believed to be the work of Malaysian terrorist Noordin Mohammad Top.
Noordin is believed to have planned last month’s near-simultaneous bombings on the JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotels, which killed nine people and wounded 53.
Noordin, who formed a violent wing of the Jemaah Islamiah (JI) militant network, is blamed for a series of attacks, including on the JW Marriott in Jakarta in 2003, on the Australian Embassy in Jakarta in 2004 and in Bali in 2005.
Security experts have warned that further attacks in Indonesia and the region remain possible with Noordin still on the run.
Malaysia has not experienced any major terror attacks but authorities remain vigilant against such a possibility.
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