President, one of 200,000 people to attend Ied prayers at Istiqlal Mosque

The Istiqlal Mosque in Central Jakarta is ready to hold at least 200,000 people, including President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who will congregate to conduct their Ied prayers to mark Idul Fitri celebrations, which will fall on Wednesday.

"It is standard practice to prepare the mosque for prayer on August 31, with the President, the Vice President [Boediono] and ministers due to attend. Security will be provided in accordance with standard [state] palace protocols," the mosque's Ramadhan committee member, Muhammad Wahyono, said on Tuesday.

He added that preparations began on Monday, and the presidential guard conducted a security check at the mosque on Tuesday.

"Security personnel will be on guard tonight," he said, as reported by kompas.com.

He added that around 200,000 people are expected to start pouring into the mosque from 5 a.m., while the President is scheduled to arrive a few minutes before the 7 a.m. prayers commence.

"Most importantly, we have prepared a special team to manage the congregation," he said.