Terrorists will continue to prey on Western interests in Indonesia, a senior US official has warned.
The US Deputy Secretary of State, Jim Steinberg, said this month’s bombing of two Jakarta hotels would not be the last attack: "We don’t think this is over."
"There are clearly a lot of individuals and groups out there who are still quite determined to try to harm democratic governments [and] Western interests.’’
An internet message purporting to be from the fugitive terrorist Noordin Mohammad Top claimed responsibility for the bombings, justifying the murders as an attack on US interests.
He had high praise for Indonesia, despite the presence of terrorists in the world’s most populous Muslim country.
Indonesia’s recent development was "remarkable, it’s one of the truly remarkable stories of the last 10 years".
Mr Steinberg expected the US President, Barack Obama, would soon visit Indonesia, where he spent part of his childhood.
He acknowledged Indonesia had made great progress in counter-terrorism efforts, but said that they were "never going to be 100 per cent successful".
For full report see Sydney Morning Herald Online
