E. Java Police hunt for sender of 'jihad' SMS

East Java Police is hunting for an alleged provocateur who spread an SMS calling for jihad and inviting people to go to Ambon in an apparent ploy to fan the flames of conflict following recent rioting there that left at least seven people dead.

"We will track down and punish the sender. This SMS has worried us," East Java Police chief Insp.Gen. Hadiatmoko said on the sidelines of an inspection of Ambon-bound ships at Tanjung Perak seaport in Surabaya on Tuesday.

Hadiatmoko said that he also had been sent the SMS.

As a precautionary measure, police have deployed personnel to ports used for travel to the province such as Ponorogo, Banyuwangi, Pasuruan, Gresik and Tanjung Perak seaports, as well as airports.

He apologized for any inconvenience the added security meassures may have caused.

Tanjung Perak authorities are also searching ships and passengers heading to cities around Ambon, such as Balikpapan and Banjarmasin, fearing that these cities could be used as transit points to reach Ambon.