Deadly Explosions In Indonesia

Bombs ripped through a McDonald's restaurant and a car dealership Thursday in eastern Indonesia, killing one and injuring two, a radio report said.

The explosions occurred just weeks after an attack on a nightclub in Bali killed nearly 200 people, mostly foreign tourists.

The bombs exploded one hour apart in the South Sulawesi capital of Makassar, about 1,000 miles east of the Indonesia capital of Jakarta, according to Radio 68H.
No one took responsibility for the blasts and police were on the scene investigating the explosions, the radio station said.

The first blast inside the McDonald's, located at a shopping mall, killed one and injured two, the radio station said. The second blast damaged four cars but caused no injuries, the radio station said.

Bombings have become a regular feature of a running conflict between Muslims and Christians on Sulawesi island. Since 1999, nearly 2,000 have died in the fighting and tens of thousands left homeless. Indonesia is the world's most populous Muslim country.

A peace deal was signed late last year but violence has been on the rise in recent months. There have been a string of bus bombs and raids on villages by bands of armed men.

Attackers in Sulawesi rarely target Western interests like McDonald's.

Explosions ripped through a McDonald's restaurant and a car dealership Thursday in eastern Indonesia, killing three and wounding two, police said.

The explosions occurred just weeks after an attack on a nightclub in Bali killed nearly 200 people, mostly foreign tourists.

The explosions occurred an hour apart in the South Sulawesi capital of Makassar, 1,000 miles east of the Indonesia capital of Jakarta, said police Sgt. Hidayat, who, like many Indonesians, uses only one name.

Bomb blasts have become a regular feature of a running conflict between Muslims and Christians on Sulawesi island. Since 1999, nearly 2,000 have died in the fighting and tens of thousands left homeless. Attackers in Sulawesi rarely target Western interest like McDonald's.

No one took responsibility for the blasts, Hidayat said, adding that authorities had not ruled out an accidental explosion at the McDonald's. Hidayat also refused to say what caused the second explosion at the car dealership, owned by Indonesian Welfare Minister Jusuf Kalla.

All the victims were at the McDonald's restaurant in a shopping mall. Four cars were damaged in the second explosion in front of the car dealership.

A peace deal was signed late last year between Muslims and Christians, but clashes have been on the rise in recent months. There have been a string of bus bombs and raids on villages by bands of armed men.

In recent months, many Western governments have expressed fears of attacks on their citizens and issued travel warnings for Indonesia after the Oct. 12 bomb blasts in Bali.

On Wednesday, Indonesia announced the arrest of the alleged planner of that attack, whom the accused of having ties to al Qaeda.

In its most recent warning, issued in October, the U.S. State Department advises against travel to Sulawesi. It said the United States had "received information that indicates extremist elements may be planning additional attacks targeting U.S. interests in Indonesia, particularly U.S. government officials and facilities." Non-essential diplomatic personnel were removed from the country.

The warning echoed a concern voiced by many recently: that increased security at so-called "hard targets" like airports, embassies and military bases would drive terrorists to hit softer targets, like nightclubs and perhaps those struck Thursday.

Prior to the Bali attack, the United States criticized Indonesia for failing to address the terrorist threat within its borders.