Jakarta bombers inspired by Al-Qaida

INDONESIAN police have confirmed that regional terror outfit Jemaah Islamiyah were behind the twin suicide blasts at Jakarta hotels, and said one of the bombers had been identified.

Jemaah Islamiyah, which draws inspiration from Al-Qaida, has carried out dozens of bombings in Indonesia in the past decade including the 2002 attacks in Bali that left more than 200 dead, mostly foreign tourists.

Police said an unexploded bomb left in a guestroom of the JW Marriott, which was attacked along with the nearby Ritz-Carlton, resembled devices used in Bali and one discovered in a recent anti-JI raid on an Islamic boarding school.