Yogya, Klaten bombs likely have same maker: police

The police say that three homemade bombs found in separate locations near Yogyakarta on Wednesday were likely made by the same group.

National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Iskandar Abubakar said that detectives noted that the bombs were wired in the same way.

“Keep in mind that the terrorists operating in the area have usually come from the same group,” Iskandar said as quoted by tempointeraktif.com news portal.

In Klaten, Central Java, bombs were discovered on Wednesday in front of the Karang Traffic Police post and the traffic police post in front of Klaten Islamic Hospital.

In nearby Sleman, Yogyakarta, a bomb was discovered outside Sendang Sriningsih, a popular Catholic shrine and pilgrimage site.

The bombs differed slightly but all had 2.5 liters of fuel in five plastic bottles connected to a timer, battery and detonator, according to Iskandar.

Iskandar said that detectives speculated that the bombs might be connected to the upcoming Christmas holiday.

The National Police would increase security around churches in big cities such as Jakarta, Medan, Semarang and Surabaya, he said.

On Christmas Eve in 2000, bombs rocked churches in eight Indonesian cities, killing 18 and injuring scores more. Police connected the attacks to Jemaah Islamiyah, a terrorist network affiliated with Al-Qaeda.