Jakarta, Indonesia – Terrorists struck the resort island of Bali once again Saturday night, setting off a string of explosions in crowded tourist areas that left at least 25 people dead and about 100 wounded, including many foreigners, according to hospital and police officials.
At least two Americans were among the wounded.
Two explosions tore through a crowded shopping center in Kuta Beach, while another explosion hit a seaside restaurant in the fishing village of Jimbaran Bay, a short walk from a Four Seasons resort hotel, witnesses said.
Indonesian Foreign Ministry spokesman Marty Natalegawa blamed the attacks on two fugitive kingpins of a Southeast Asian militant group, Jemaah Islamiah, seen as al-Qaeda’s regional arm.
The attacks hit Bali just as its tourist industry was getting back on its feet from devastating bombings three years ago that left 202 people dead, including 80 Australians.
The latest bombings occurred nearly simultaneously just before 7 p.m. local time (6 a.m. MDT) at Kuta Town Square shopping center in the island’s most urban area and at the seaside stalls in Jimbaran Bay, about 20 miles away.
Indonesian television carried chaotic images of rescuers pulling bleeding tourists from the smoldering ruins of the shopping center, which housed restaurants, surfer shops and clothing stores. The blasts struck the three-story Raja cafe and steakhouse and the Matahari department store.
“I helped lift up the bodies, there was blood everywhere,” Wayan Kresna told Jakarta-based El Shinta radio station.
In Jimbaran Bay, a third blast hit a seafood restaurant that is a popular gathering place at sundown. A former fishing village, Jimbaran Bay now is a posh resort area with Ritz-Carlton, Intercontinental and Four Seasons hotels.
Jakarta’s Metro TV said police found another three bombs in Bali and were working to deactivate them.
Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who said he would go to Bali early today, told Indonesian journalists that the blasts were “clearly an act of terrorism.”
He added that extremists “are targeting indiscriminately.”
The Associated Press cited hospital and police officials saying that at least 22 people were killed and 51 wounded, including eight Australians and two Americans.
The latest bombings seemed designed to send a message that Jemaah Islamiah group can strike Indonesia’s most popular tourist destination at any moment. The group chose to strike during a high tourist-season weekend, as Indonesians prepare for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which begins Wednesday.
The bombings brought images that immediately harkened back to the 2002 explosions at Bali nightclubs. The Kuta shopping center is a 15-minute walk from the Sari Club and Paddy’s Bar, scenes of the devastating 2002 blasts.
The island of Bali is a predominately Hindu enclave within the world’s most populous Muslim nation. It draws 1 million tourists a year and is home to thousands of resident foreigners.
