GroteWolf
16-10-02, 14:03
There was still no firm evidence on who was responsible for the attack that killed almost 200 people. But the united chorus of calls for Indonesia to take firm action and concerns about further attacks reflected the strong suspicion among Indonesian investigators and U.S. intelligence experts that al-Qaeda agents were responsible.
Indonesian officials said they were making progress in their investigation. They questioned a security guard and another man and said traces of C-4 plastic explosive were found at the scene of the blast.
There was also a sign that Indonesian authorities are responding to international calls to get tough with Muslim extremists within their borders: A violent Muslim group with ties to Indonesia's military disbanded.
The announcement by the group Laskar Jihad came as the spiritual leader of another extremist network, which has been linked to al-Qaeda, said he would submit to questioning.
The motives behind Saturday's attack remain unknown.
Western intelligence agencies have long warned that Indonesia's 13,000 islands and Muslim majority make it a safe hiding place for fugitive al-Qaeda fighters. But there are local disputes as well.
Bali has a majority Hindu population, which could have made it a target of Muslim extremists. Also, there are lingering ill feelings in Indonesia over East Timor's split from the country and Australia's role in that independence effort. Many of the victims of Saturday's attack were Australian tourists.
Whatever the reason behind the attack, it has prompted sharp reaction from around the world:
President Bush said Monday that he plans to talk to Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri. "I hope I hear the resolve of a leader that recognizes that any time terrorists take hold in a country, it is going to weaken the country itself," Bush said Tuesday.
The bombing may boost the arguments of top Pentagon officials who want to resume ties with Indonesia's military that Congress severed because of the army's atrocities against civilians.
"This is the first and most powerful recognition that the battle against terrorism is not limited to the Middle East or South Asia," said Kurt Campbell of the non-partisan Center for Strategic and International Studies. "Human rights worries ... will be overridden."
Germany and Italy urged the European Union on Tuesday to step up its fight against terrorism. Italian Interior Minister Giuseppe Pisanu said he had information that "terrorist organizations" were preparing strikes in Europe.
Indonesian officials said they were making progress in their investigation. They questioned a security guard and another man and said traces of C-4 plastic explosive were found at the scene of the blast.
There was also a sign that Indonesian authorities are responding to international calls to get tough with Muslim extremists within their borders: A violent Muslim group with ties to Indonesia's military disbanded.
The announcement by the group Laskar Jihad came as the spiritual leader of another extremist network, which has been linked to al-Qaeda, said he would submit to questioning.
The motives behind Saturday's attack remain unknown.
Western intelligence agencies have long warned that Indonesia's 13,000 islands and Muslim majority make it a safe hiding place for fugitive al-Qaeda fighters. But there are local disputes as well.
Bali has a majority Hindu population, which could have made it a target of Muslim extremists. Also, there are lingering ill feelings in Indonesia over East Timor's split from the country and Australia's role in that independence effort. Many of the victims of Saturday's attack were Australian tourists.
Whatever the reason behind the attack, it has prompted sharp reaction from around the world:
President Bush said Monday that he plans to talk to Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri. "I hope I hear the resolve of a leader that recognizes that any time terrorists take hold in a country, it is going to weaken the country itself," Bush said Tuesday.
The bombing may boost the arguments of top Pentagon officials who want to resume ties with Indonesia's military that Congress severed because of the army's atrocities against civilians.
"This is the first and most powerful recognition that the battle against terrorism is not limited to the Middle East or South Asia," said Kurt Campbell of the non-partisan Center for Strategic and International Studies. "Human rights worries ... will be overridden."
Germany and Italy urged the European Union on Tuesday to step up its fight against terrorism. Italian Interior Minister Giuseppe Pisanu said he had information that "terrorist organizations" were preparing strikes in Europe.