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An injured man is taken to hospital after bombs rock two hotels in Jakarta - Source: Reuters -
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Bomb blasts ripped through the JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton
hotels in Jakarta's business district, killing nine people and
wounding dozens in attacks that could dent investor confidence in
Indonesia.
A car bomb also blew up along a toll road in North Jakarta, police
said without giving further details.
Indonesia's Metro TV said two people had been killed.
An unexploded bomb was also later found at the Marriott, police
said.
Analysts have suggested Jemaah Islamiah (JI), a pan-Asian radical
Islamic group linked to al Qaeda and blamed for several attacks
across Southeast Asia, including the Bali bombings, may be
responsible.
Here are five facts on JI:
- Founded around 1993, the goal of JI is the creation of an Islamic super-state spanning Indonesia, Malaysia, the southern Philippines, southern Thailand, Singapore and Brunei
- Initially involved in violent communal conflicts within Indonesia, the network is said to have forged international links with militant groups such as al Qaeda, as well as Abu Sayyaf and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in the Philippines.
- JI has been blamed for several deadly attacks on US and Western targets in Indonesia, including the 2004 Australian embassy blast, a 2003 car bombing at the JW Marriot hotel in Jakarta, and the 2002 Bali bombing, which killed more than 200 people.
- JI's structure and membership remain murky, but it is said to be Southeast Asia's largest jihadist organisation. Indonesian police have arrested more than 300 suspected JI militants, and neighbours Malaysia and Singapore have arrested another hundred. Its alleged one-time leader, bearded Indonesian cleric Abu Bakar Bashir, was imprisoned for conspiracy but later cleared of wrongdoing and released in June 2006. He denied links to JI.
- The group's ability to carry out attacks was believed to be waning after the recent capture and execution of several high-profile members. In November 2008 three JI-linked "Bali bombers' were executed by firing squad; in May 2009 Malaysia captured the alleged leader of Singapore's JI cell, Mas Selamat bin Kastari. Alleged top figures still on the run include Noordin Mohammad Top, Umar Patek and Dulmatin.
