Indonesia’s police chief has formally blamed the regional Muslim militant group Jemaah Islamiah for the bombings in Bali last October. General Da’i Bachtiar told Indonesia’s parliament that Jemaah Islamiah (JI) leaders decided to attack the holiday island as part of a plan to hit US interests in Indonesia and Singapore. The decision to target US operations was made at a meeting in Bangkok last February, Mr Bachtiar said. At least 193 people died in the bomb attacks on two nightclubs in Bali. Several people are under arrest on suspicion of involvement and police have said the first court case could be held next month. Mr Bachtiar has previously hinted that JI could have been involved in the attacks and linked some of the alleged perpetrators with the group, but he has never before formally blamed JI as a whole. The police chief also said that Abu Bakar Ba’asyir, who has been arrested on suspicion of treason and involvement in a separate bombing case, gave his “blessing” to the anti-US operation. Full Story
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