Jakarta blast may have targeted Australian election

Al-Qaida-linked fanatics were being hunted in Indonesia tonight after a car bomb blast outside the Australian embassy in Jakarta killed nine people and wounding 160 in a devastating strike on a key US ally in the war in Iraq.

The bombing – the first attack linked to regional terror group Jemaah Islamiyah in more than a year – could affect the Australian elections, in which Prime Minister John Howard is running on a pro-American, anti-terror platform in a tight race.