Terror fears grip Asia

New terror fears gripped Asia today, sparking security scares at embassies and travel alerts, but Indonesia shrugged off calls to outlaw the elusive militant group suspected in deadly suicide bombings on Bali island.

Investigators were slowly piecing together evidence – pellets, batteries, cables and detonators – from the scenes of the blasts and renewed calls for anyone who recognised grisly photographs of three suicide bombers to step forward.

Two men were being held for questioning, but they have not been named as suspects, said Bali police chief Maj Gen I Made Mangku Pastika, adding that 39 witnesses were also being debriefed.

South-east Asian nations have been on high alert to prevent a repeat of the Saturday night attacks on three crowded restaurants that killed 22 people, putting hundreds of thousands of troops on standby, tightening security on beaches and at resorts, and stepping up border security.

Adding to tensions, a Muslim cleric jailed for conspiracy in the 2002 bombings that killed 202 mostly foreign tourists on the same tropical resort island said Tuesday the latest attacks were a warning from God.

Suspicious packages threatening retaliation for injustices against Muslims were sent to six Asian and European embassies in Malaysia – including Canada, Germany, and Thailand – forcing evacuations and the closure of the Japanese mission.

The parcels were later dismissed as a hoax, as was a tip-off that the US Embassy had also been targeted, said Abdul Aziz Bulat, Kuala Lumpur’s police head of criminal investigations.

No one has claimed responsibility for the co-ordinated attacks that devastated two seafood cafes in Bali’s Jimbaran beach resort and a three-story oodle and steakhouse in downtown Kuta, the island’s bustling tourist centre. In addition to the fatalities, more than 100 people were wounded.

But suspicion immediately fell on the al Qaida-linked regional terror group Jemaah Islamiyah – which allegedly orchestrated the 2002 Bali bombings.

Australia, which lost 88 citizens in the earlier attacks, warned Tuesday of further possible strikes on the island, pinpointing another popular entertainment district.

It also said it would repeat a request to Jakarta that it ban Jemaa Islamiyah.

Once again, Indonesian said no. Doing s could make it easier to prosecute members, could also trigger opposition from Muslim groups and political parties.

“It is an underground movement. We can only ban an established organisation,” said presidential spokesman Andi Malarangeng, adding however that the government would continue to fight terrorism “under whatever name.”

From his prison cell, Islamic cleric Abu Bakar Bashir – the group’s alleged spiritual leader – condemned the attack but also said in a statement that last weekend’s blasts were a sign of God’s displeasure with the Indonesian government.

“I suggest the government bring themselves closer to God by implementing his rules and laws because these happenings are warnings from God for all of us,” said Bashir, who has campaigned for the implementation of Islamic Shariah law in Indonesia.

Indonesian officials earlier said Saturday’s bombings were planned by Malaysian fugitives Azahari bin Husin and Noordin Mohamed Top – key suspected Jemaah Islamiyah figures.

The organisation, terror experts say, has been hard hit by a series of arrests in recent years, but may have formed alliances with other organisations or individuals.

But today Pastika said it was too early to directly blame Azahari and Noordin - or Jemaah Islamiyah.

He said the investigators’ first priority was identifying the three bombers, who wore explosives – packed with ball bearings and other shrapnel – around their waists or in bags over their shoulders. The blasts destroyed their torsos, but left their heads intact, and photographs have been circulated nationwide.

Once the suspects are identified, “we can trace which group they’re from,” he told reporters.