A piercing sound, smoke, sirens and screams -- all hell broke out in Jakarta’s Kuningan district at about eight a.m. local time. Aleksander Atmasubrata was jogging near the Marriott Hotel when he heard a loud explosion. He threw himself to the ground. When the smoke had dispersed a bit, he rushed to the hotel lobby and helped rescue any victims from the rubble.

"I asked taxis to bring the injured people to hospital,” he explained. “There were also some foreigners -- some were seriously injured. We carried out a man who had lost his leg. Another victim was unconscious.“

The young man was visibly shaken. He lives nearby and it’s not the first time the Marriott has been targeted by terrorists. In 2003, 12 people died in a car bomb attack on the luxury hotel.

This time, there was another target, explained a local taxi driver: “Five minutes later, there was a loud explosion at the Ritz-Carlton. There was glass everywhere, smoke gushed out of the windows. I heard an explosion and then everything went dark. Later, I saw injured people on the street -- there were lots of foreigners.”

His taxi was parked some 200 metres away from the Ritz.

Several dead, dozens injured

At least nine people were killed in the two explosions. Over 60 were seriously injured. Most of the victims were foreign. The number could rise.

A police spokesman confirmed the number of victims as soon as the attacks had been carried out: "Eight people died on the spot, another victim died in hospital. We’re currently looking at the victims’ belongings, a police team has just arrived and the investigation is underway. We will look at each lead.“

Later, national police chief Bambang Hendarso Danuri said the attacks had been carried out by two suicide bombers whose bodies had been found at the hotels.

Speculation JI is behind the attacks

Although nobody immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, one of the theories is that Jemaah Islamiyah, or JI, which has carried out similar attacks across Southeast Asia in the past -- including in Malaysia and the Philippines -- coordinated these twin blasts too.

Although many of the al-Qaeda-linked group’s leaders are in jail, JI is believed to have the means and explosives necessary for such high-profile terror attacks. And although last year three suspects in the 2002 Bali Bombings that killed over 200 were hanged this does not seem to be a deterrent to potential terrorists.

Other observers were reluctant to blame JI but said a splinter group might be responsible.

President Yudhoyono promises to punish perpetrators

The recently re-elected President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has pursued a strict anti-terror campaign throughout his time in office and intends to continue along the same lines.

On Friday, he called an emergency meeting and promised to arrest those responsible for the attacks on the two Jakarta hotels.

"I am sure most of us are deeply concerned, feel very sorry, and are crying silently, like the way I am feeling," Yudhoyono said, adding that the perpetrators were "laughing and cheering with anger and hatred".

"They do not have a sense of humanity and do not care about the destruction of our country because of this terror act will have a wide impact on our economy, our business climate, our tourism, our image in the world and many others."

Author: Ziphora Robina/Anne Thomas
Editor: Thomas Bärthlein