A grenade exploded early Tuesday at the residence of Muzakir Manaf, chairman of the Aceh Party and a former military commander in the Free Aceh Movement (GAM), eyewitnesses and police said.

Tarmizy, a relative of Muzakir's, said Muzakir was not home when the incident occurred at about 3 a.m. Tuesday, causing minor damage but injuring no one.

Shrapnel from the grenade hit walls and smashed in the windshield of Muzakir's car, parked in the garage, Tarmizy told The Jakarta Post.

"I was about to have a meal (before beginning fasting) when a loud bang in the yard startled all of us in the house," Tarmizy said, adding the perpetrators may have thought Muzakir was home because his car was there.

Muzakir was on a trip to Lhok Seumawe, some 300 kilometers south of Banda Aceh, at the time. He went in another car, Tarmizy added.

Aceh Anti-Terror Special Forces chief Cmr. Sutry Hamdani called on the public to remain calm while authorities investigated the incident.

"We hope people will not start speculating on who did it. But we believe there are individuals who don't want to see peace prevail in Aceh," he said.

The grenade attack angered members of the Aceh Party, one of six local political parties contesting next year's elections.

Party secretary-general Adnan Beuransyah claimed the attack was politically motivated and aimed at destabilizing Aceh, which is still recovering from decades of secessionist rebellions.

The Indonesian government and GAM rebels signed a UN-brokered peace agreement on Aug. 15, 2005, in Sweden. The Aceh Party was founded mostly by former GAM combatants.

"This (incident) was an assassination attempt and it poses a serious threat to the peace accord that GAM and the Indonesian government signed.

"Lately, we have become a terror target," Adnan said, refusing to speculate on who the perpetrators might be.

In Sabang, Pidie, Tamiang and other areas, Aceh Party banners have been removed, and in some cases, destroyed.

Adnan called on the police to investigate the grenade attack and apprehend the perpetrators.

"If the (perpetrators) can do this in the city, they can do anything in rural areas, especially in ex-GAM strongholds," he said.

The incident was condemned by the Aceh Transition Commission (KPA), the body in charge of the rehabilitation of former GAM rebels.

"The police should investigate the (grenade) incident and disband groups that intend to disrupt the peace in Aceh," said KPA spokesman Ibrahim KBS.

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