Police say bombs caused explosions at McDonald's, car dealership in Indonesia

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) _ Explosions that killed three people at a McDonald's and a car dealership were caused by bombs, Indonesian police said Friday, and they were investigating whether the blasts

Friday, December 6th 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) _ Explosions that killed three people at a McDonald's and a car dealership were caused by bombs, Indonesian police said Friday, and they were investigating whether the blasts were linked to the Bali attacks.

Police have detained 15 people for questioning, the private MetroTV station reported.

National Police Chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar said the bombs that exploded Thursday in the South Sulawesi capital of Makassar were different from those in the Oct. 12 attacks in Bali that killed nearly 200. But he said police were not ruling out a link with the Bali blasts and earlier bombings elsewhere in Indonesia.

``I'm investigating whether there is a connection between the Makassar bombs and other bombings including Bali,'' Bachtiar said.

The explosion at the McDonald's killed three and injured two, police said. About an hour later, a second explosion tore through a car dealership owned by Indonesian Welfare Minister Jusuf Kalla, damaging four cars but causing no injuries.

Bachtiar said black powder had been found at the scene of both blasts, suggesting that they were linked and that a low-intensity explosive was used.

Bachtiar called the bombings the latest attempt to destabilize Indonesia, and vowed to find the culprits.

``We need to be alert,'' he said. ``There are still groups of people that want to create security problems and fear among the people with these bombs. We are serious about revealing those behind these acts of terror.''

Bomb blasts have become a regular feature of a running conflict between Muslims and Christians on Sulawesi island, about 1,000 miles northeast of the Indonesian capital of Jakarta. Since 1999, nearly 2,000 people have died in the fighting and tens of thousands have been left homeless.

A peace deal was signed late last year, but clashes have increased in recent months, including a string of bus bombs and raids on villages by bands of armed men.