T

he discovery of two bombs in Jakarta on Tuesday has gripped the capital in confusion.

While the first bomb in Utan Kayu, East Jakarta, was seen as another sign of the threat to pluralism in Indonesia, the second one may have been a warning from drug traffickers to the police.

The first package bomb was addressed to Ulil Abshar Abdala, the founder of the Liberal Islam Network (JIL), It exploded Tuesday while being defused, injuring three police officers.

Ulil, a member of the Democratic Party’s central board, was not hurt in the attack.

The National Police bomb squad discovered the second bomb at the National Narcotics Agency (BNN) building, also in East Jakarta. Police say it was similar with the package to Ulil. No one was hurt when police remotely triggered it.

Ulil is widely known as a Muslim intellectual who advocates a tolerant and pluralist view of Islam and has been critical of radical Muslim groups in the country.

The bomb, packed in a book titled Mereka Harus Dibunuh karena Dosa-Dosa Mereka terhadap Islam dan Muslimin (They must be killed for their sins against Islam and Muslims) written by local author Sulaiman Azhar, was received by a secretary of the Institute for the Free Flow of Information (ISAI), Ade Juniarti, at 10 a.m. Tuesday.

The package came with a letter requesting Ulil give a preface to the 412-page book along with the address and phone number of the sender.

The Jakarta Post’s attempts to contact the number Tuesday evening went unanswered.

Ade called police after seeing cables protruding from the book and suspected it was a bomb.

East Jakarta Police chief detective Comr. Dodi Rahmawan, who was first to respond to the report, attempted to inspect the bomb himself.

Dodi opened the package and went through the pages while pouring water on the bomb. The book exploded, severing his left arm.

Two other people, Second Insp. Bahara Libra and Mulyana, a security guard at the JIL building in Utan Kayu, East Jakarta, were also injured in the explosion.

Ulil did not return calls by the Post, but posted on Twitter that “I am alright and thanks for the support”.

Responding to the attack, Democratic Party chairman Anas Urbaningrum condemned the attack, saying it was not intolerable regardless of motive.

“I hope we can maintain peace, compassion and respect toward others and promote religious tolerance. If there is a difference of views, we have to settle it in a civilized manner,” he said.

Usman Hamid from the International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ) said police should prioritize the case.

Rights watchdog Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) said the attack marked a new peak in the growing spate of violence against those fighting for a pluralist society.

Kontras said in a statement that the attack was a threat to the country’s principles of plurality and democracy. “Whoever carried out the attack wants to muddy the water and take advantage of the situation,” Kontras coordinator Haris Azhar said.