Islamic extremists claim responsibility for Jakarta bombing

Investigators searching for clues sifted through charred debris at a decimated luxury hotel in Jakarta today after a suspected suicide bombing that killed at least 14 people and injured 148.

The attack yesterday underscored the continued threat of terrorism in the world’s largest Muslim nation after last year’s bombings on the resort island of Bali that killed 202 people.

The al-Qaida-linked terror group Jemaah Islamiyah, blamed for the Bali blasts, allegedly claimed responsibility for the hotel bombing in remarks published by Singapore’s Straits Times newspaper.

“This is a message for … all our enemies that, if they execute any of our Muslim brothers, we will continue this campaign of terror in Indonesia and the region,” the paper quoted an unnamed Jemaah Islamiyah operative as saying. The paper did not give any more details on its source.

The Marriott – a frequent venue for US Embassy functions and a popular destination for foreigners – was transformed into a bloody inferno when a vehicle packed with explosives blew up on the driveway leading to its front entrance around midday.

Police will release a sketch of one of two men whom they suspect recently bought the vehicle used in the bombing, said national police detective chief Erwin Mappaseng.

Speaking before a meeting of top security officials, Mappaseng said investigators got the description of the man from the car’s previous owner.

World leaders expressed horror and outrage at the bombing. The White House called it a “deplorable attack on innocent civilians” and declared its support for the Indonesian government’s fight against terrorism.

“This is another very, very tragic event for Indonesia’s efforts of recovery,” said Anders Backman, the charge d’affaires at the Swedish Embassy, which is located near the hotel and was also damaged.

The governor of Jakarta, Sutiyoso, said it was “very likely” carried out by a suicide bomber. The national police chief, Da’I Bachtiar, refused to speculate on the cause, but confirmed the vehicle was moving at the time of the explosion.

Early today, police officers and forensic experts picked through debris at the hotel and prevented onlookers from getting close to the ruined lobby.

Workers carried out bags belonging to guests who had fled the hotel after the attack, which left blood and shattered glass over a two-block radius.

The 33-storey hotel – which had a 77% occupancy rate at the time of the blast - was wrecked, its lobby strewn with charred sofas, overturned tables and caved-in ceilings.

“I thought a plane must have hit the building,” said Iin, an office worker in an adjacent building. Like many Indonesians, Iin uses a single name.

Officials said 14 people were killed, and 148 people were wounded – at least 10 foreigners, including two Americans, reportedly among them. A Dutch citizen was the only foreigner killed in the attack.

The latest fatality was an Indonesian taxi driver, who died overnight as a result of his wounds, hospital staff said.

An adjacent building houses the embassies of Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark. None of the staff was injured, officials said.