Jakarta (dpa) - Indonesia is boosting security ahead of the Christmas and New Year's holiday season with intelligence pointing to possible terror attacks, local media reported this morning.
Syamsir Siregar, head of State Intelligence Agency (BIN), said that his agency had learned of possible plans by terrorists to launch attacks at the end of this month, the Jakarta Post reported.
"There are plans for terror activities in large cities such as Jakarta," Syamsir Siregar said after a ceremony at the state palace.
Senior Jakarta police officials said they would deploy some 17,000 officers to safeguard the capital, particularly churches, malls and tourist destinations, during the holiday season.
Security will also be boosted, including the installation of closed-circuit television monitors at big churches, in five cities in Central Java where terror attacks might be carried out, police said.
Indonesia has been the site of several deadly terror attacks in recent years, including simultaneous church bombings around Christmas 2000, which left at least 19 people dead.
Islamic militants also launched attacks in Bali in 2002, leaving at least 202 people dead; at the Marriott Hotel in Jakarta in August 2003, killing 12; outside the Australian embassy in September 2004, killing 11 and wounding about 180; and again in Bali on October 1 this year, leaving 23 dead.
Although chief bombmaker and suspected mastermind of some of the attacks, Malaysian Azahari bin Husin, was killed in a raid by police last month, his accomplice and another leading suspect in the attacks, Noordin Top, is still one of Indonesia's most-wanted fugitives.
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