Six Dead as Huge Blast Rocks Indonesia Hotel

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, August 05, 2003

Six Dead as Huge Blast Rocks Indonesia Hotel

A huge blast killed six people at a luxury hotel in the business center of Indonesia's capital on Tuesday and seriously injured many more, police said.

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A huge blast killed six people at a luxury hotel in the business center of Indonesia's capital on Tuesday and seriously injured many more, police said.

Jakarta detective Andi Chaeruddin said the blast originated in the basement of the Marriott Hotel in Kuningan on the main road that slices through Jakarta's business district

He told Reuters at least six people had been killed and many more injured.

The cause of the blast was not immediately clear, but Washington said last week that Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network was planning new suicide hijackings and bombings in the U.S. and abroad.

Flames and thick clouds of smoke billowed from the lobby area of the hotel after the blast. Cars and other vehicles were set ablaze and staff and guests evacuated as hundreds of people milled around watching the carnage.

The blast coincided with high-profile trials in Indonesia of suspected Islamic militants on bomb-related charges -- including that of influential Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Bashir, accused of leading the Jemaah Islamiah group which has been blamed for a series of attacks on Western targets in the country.

A court in Bali was expected to deliver its first verdict on Thursday in the trials of those charged with planting a bomb that killed over 200 people on the resort island in October last year.

The Marriott is in the heart of the business center which is also close to the diplomatic area of Menteng, home to dozens of Western embassies and consuls -- including the residence of the U.S. ambassador to Indonesia.

Menteng, Jakarta's most exclusive suburb, is also home to cabinet members, lawmakers and senior army officials.

The Marriott, which opened in September 2001 and has 33 floors and 333 rooms, is the latest luxury hotel to be built in the city, home to over 10 million people.

Hotel staff said it was more than three-quarters full when the blast struck.

Source: Agencies

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