2004 Australian Embassy Bombing
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The Australian embassy bombing in Jakarta took place on September 9, 2004 in
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
. A one-tonne
car bomb A car bomb, bus bomb, lorry bomb, or truck bomb, also known as a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED), is an improvised explosive device designed to be detonated in an automobile or other vehicles. Car bombs can be roughly divided ...
, which was packed into a small
Daihatsu , commonly known as Daihatsu, is a Japanese automobile manufacturer and one of the oldest surviving Japanese internal combustion engine manufacturers. The company's headquarters are located in Ikeda, Osaka Prefecture. Historically, Daihatsu was ...
delivery van A panel van, also known as a blind van, car-derived van (United Kingdom) or sedan delivery (United States), is a small cargo vehicle with a passenger car chassis, typically with a single front bench seat and no side windows behind the B-pillar. ...
,
explode An explosion is a rapid expansion in volume associated with an extreme outward release of energy, usually with the generation of high temperatures and release of high-pressure gases. Supersonic explosions created by high explosives are known ...
d outside the
Australian embassy Australian diplomatic missions are posts representing the Commonwealth of Australia in foreign countries. They are mostly maintained by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, with some smaller posts being run by Austrade. There are curr ...
at Kuningan District,
South Jakarta South Jakarta ( id, Jakarta Selatan; bew, Jakarte Beludik ), colloquially known as ''Jaksel'', is one of the five administrative cities which form the Special Capital Region of Jakarta, Indonesia. South Jakarta is not self-governed and does not h ...
, at about 10:30 local time (03:30 UTC), killing 9 people including the suicide bomber, and wounding over 150 others. The explosion gutted the Greek
embassy A diplomatic mission or foreign mission is a group of people from a state or organization present in another state to represent the sending state or organization officially in the receiving or host state. In practice, the phrase usually deno ...
on the 12th floor of an adjacent building, where three
diplomat A diplomat (from grc, δίπλωμα; romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state or an intergovernmental institution such as the United Nations or the European Union to conduct diplomacy with one or more other states or internati ...
s were slightly wounded. Damage to the nearby
Chinese embassy This is a list of diplomatic missions of the People's Republic of China. The People's Republic of China has the largest diplomatic network in the world, representing the country's significant economic, commercial, political, cultural, and milit ...
was also reported. Numerous office buildings surrounding the embassy were also damaged by the blast, which shattered windows in buildings away, injuring many workers inside, mostly by broken glass. A dispute ensued as to how many
civilian Civilians under international humanitarian law are "persons who are not members of the armed forces" and they are not "combatants if they carry arms openly and respect the laws and customs of war". It is slightly different from a non-combatant, b ...
s were killed by the explosion: local health authorities in
Jakarta Jakarta (; , bew, Jakarte), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta ( id, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta) is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Lying on the northwest coast of Java, the world's most populous island, Jakarta ...
reported 9 deaths, compared to 11 deaths reported by Australian officials. Nonetheless, all
Australians Australians, colloquially known as Aussies, are the citizens, nationals and individuals associated with the country of Australia. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or ethno-cultural. For most Australians, several (or all) ...
working at the embassy were reported alive. Among the victims killed were embassy security guard Anton Sujarwo, 23, and four
Indonesian police '' , mottotranslated = (Serving the Nation) , formed = , preceding1 = , dissolved = , superseding = , employees = 440,000 (2020) , volunteers = , budget = , nongovernment ...
men on duty at the embassy. The rest were civilians, including the embassy gardener, Suryadi, 34, two embassy workers, a
visa Visa most commonly refers to: *Visa Inc., a US multinational financial and payment cards company ** Visa Debit card issued by the above company ** Visa Electron, a debit card ** Visa Plus, an interbank network *Travel visa, a document that allows ...
applicant, and a pedestrian.


Reactions

Australian Prime Minister The prime minister of Australia is the head of government of the Commonwealth of Australia. The prime minister heads the executive branch of the federal government of Australia and is also accountable to federal parliament under the principl ...
John Howard John Winston Howard (born 26 July 1939) is an Australian former politician who served as the 25th prime minister of Australia from 1996 to 2007, holding office as leader of the Liberal Party. His eleven-year tenure as prime minister is the s ...
expressed his "utter dismay at this event" and Foreign Minister
Alexander Downer Alexander John Gosse Downer (born 9 September 1951) is an Australian former politician and diplomat who was leader of the Liberal Party from 1994 to 1995, Minister for Foreign Affairs from 1996 to 2007, and High Commissioner to the United King ...
said, "this was aimed at the Australian Embassy, there's no question of that" and that the investigators' "suspicions turn to
Jemaah Islamiah Jemaah Islamiyah ( ar, الجماعة الإسلامية, ''al-Jamāʿah al-Islāmiyyah'', meaning "Islamic Congregation", frequently abbreviated JI) is a Southeast Asian militant extremist Islamist terrorist group based in Indonesia, which i ...
". It is unclear whether the incident was intended to influence either of the two upcoming regional elections: the final stage of the Indonesian presidential elections scheduled for 20 September, or the Australian elections scheduled for 9 October. The
Australian Opposition In Australian parliamentary practice, the Opposition consists of the second largest party or coalition of parties in the Australian House of Representatives, with its leader being given the title " Leader of the Opposition". The Opposition serve ...
Leader Mark Latham said "The terrorists responsible for this attack are evil and barbaric and must be dealt with as harshly as possible and as quickly as possible" and committed the Labor Party's "full support to all efforts by the Australian and Indonesian governments to ensure that happens". A grainy photograph of a white delivery van suspected of carrying the bomb and the attackers was released by Indonesian police. Downer said that a mobile phone text message was sent to Indonesian authorities about 45 minutes before the bomb
detonate Detonation () is a type of combustion involving a supersonic exothermic front accelerating through a medium that eventually drives a shock front propagating directly in front of it. Detonations propagate supersonically through shock waves with s ...
d, warning of attacks unless the leader of
Jemaah Islamiyah Jemaah Islamiyah ( ar, الجماعة الإسلامية, ''al-Jamāʿah al-Islāmiyyah'', meaning "Islamic Congregation", frequently abbreviated JI) is a Southeast Asian militant extremist Islamist terrorist group based in Indonesia, which i ...
Abu Bakar Bashir was released, and said that the warning was not delivered to the
Australian Federal Police The Australian Federal Police (AFP) is the national and principal federal law enforcement agency of the Australian Government with the unique role of investigating crime and protecting the national security of the Commonwealth of Australia. Th ...
until several hours after the bombing. Indonesian police said that they did not receive such a message. This was the third recent major attack involving Australians or Australian targets in Indonesia, after the
2002 Bali bombing The 2002 Bali bombings occurred on 12 October 2002 in the tourist district of Kuta on the Indonesian island of Bali. The attack killed 202 people (including 88 Australians, 38 Indonesians, 23 Britons, and people of more than 20 other nationalit ...
, and the
2003 Marriott Hotel bombing The 2003 Marriott Hotel bombing occurred on August 5, 2003 in Mega Kuningan, South Jakarta, Indonesia. A suicide bomber detonated a car bomb outside the lobby of the JW Marriott Hotel, killing 12 people and injuring 150. Those killed including ...
. The executors of that attack, Jemaah Islamiyah, were also head suspects for this bombing.


Investigation

Responsibility for the attack was claimed by Jemaah Islamiyah, an organisation which has also claimed responsibility for multiple attacks including the
2002 Bali bombing The 2002 Bali bombings occurred on 12 October 2002 in the tourist district of Kuta on the Indonesian island of Bali. The attack killed 202 people (including 88 Australians, 38 Indonesians, 23 Britons, and people of more than 20 other nationalit ...
and alleged to have links with
al-Qaeda Al-Qaeda (; , ) is an Islamic extremism, Islamic extremist organization composed of Salafist jihadists. Its members are mostly composed of Arab, Arabs, but also include other peoples. Al-Qaeda has mounted attacks on civilian and military ta ...
. An Islamist web site, www.islamic-minbar.com, posted a statement by Jemaah Islamiyah saying: Police announced that
Azahari Husin Dr. Azahari bin Husin (14 September 1957 – 9 November 2005), also Azahari Husin, Azhari Husin, was a Malaysian who was believed to be the technical mastermind behind the Philippine consulate bombing in Jakarta, Jakarta Stock Exchange bombi ...
and
Noordin Mohammed Top Noordin Mohammad Top (11 August 1968 – 17 September 2009) was a Malaysian Muslim extremist. He was also referred to as Noordin, Din Moch Top, Muh Top, Top M or Mat Top. Until his death, he was Indonesia's most wanted Islamist militant. Bor ...
were suspected of being behind the bombing; Azahari was killed in a police raid in November 2005 at Batu,
East Java East Java ( id, Jawa Timur) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia located in the easternmost hemisphere of Java island. It has a land border only with the province of Central Java to the west; the Java Sea and the Indian Ocean bord ...
, while Noordin was killed on 17 September 2009 at
Surakarta Surakarta ( jv, ꦯꦸꦫꦏꦂꦠ), known colloquially as Solo ( jv, ꦱꦭ; ), is a city in Central Java, Indonesia. The 44 km2 (16.2 sq mi) city adjoins Karanganyar Regency and Boyolali Regency to the north, Karanganyar Regency and Sukoh ...
,
Central Java Central Java ( id, Jawa Tengah) is a province of Indonesia, located in the middle of the island of Java. Its administrative capital is Semarang. It is bordered by West Java in the west, the Indian Ocean and the Special Region of Yogyakarta in t ...
. On 1 October 2004, authorities identified the suicide bomber as Heri Golun, based on DNA tests done at the scene. On 10 November 2004, Indonesian police arrested Rois, also known as Iwan Dharmawan, along with five other suspects in Merak,
West Java West Java ( id, Jawa Barat, su, ᮏᮝ ᮊᮥᮜᮧᮔ᮪, romanized ''Jawa Kulon'') is a province of Indonesia on the western part of the island of Java, with its provincial capital in Bandung. West Java is bordered by the province of Banten ...
. During questioning, Rois claimed that he had received funds for the attack from a courier that was sent by Osama Bin Laden via Malaysia. He told police: "According to Dr Azahari’s explanation to me at the time, the funds came from Osama bin Laden, and they were sent by a courier, but he didn’t say the name or when he received it". He stated that the motivation for the bombing was Australia's involvement in the
Iraq war {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish) , partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...
: "The intention to bomb the Australian embassy was because the Australian government is the American lackey most active in supporting American policies to slaughter Muslims in Iraq." On 13 September 2005, Rois was sentenced to death for his role in the bombing but appeared to recant his earlier confession by telling the court: "I reject the death sentence. I reject a day or even an hour of sentence because I'm innocent and I wasn't involved in this." An appeal by Rois's lawyers against the death penalty was rejected by the Indonesian High Court in December 2005. On 5 May 2006 the
International Crisis Group The International Crisis Group (ICG; also known as the Crisis Group) is a transnational non-profit, non-governmental organisation founded in 1995. It is a think tank, used by policymakers and academics, performing research and analysis on global ...
released its report entitled ''Terrorism in Indonesia''. It described the events leading up the attack;
On 5 August, at Noordin’s instructions, Rois set off to retrieve Heri Golun, who had been selected as the suicide bomber, and buy the Daihatsu vehicle that was used in the bombing. He enlisted the help of Irun Hidayat in both tasks. From then until 17 August, frantic activity moving the principals, purchasing additional materials for the bombs and raising funds – alternated with lulls, when the operatives went to Internet cafes to pass the time. On 17 August, Noordin asked Rois to check on Heri Golun’s state of mind. When Heri said he was ready, he moved into the house where Noordin and Azhari were and slept in their room at night, so they could give him additional religious counselling. On 23 August, Rois started to teach Heri Golun how to drive, and on 9 September, the new driver blew himself in front of the Australian embassy.
In March 2005, Irun Hidayat was charged with being an accessory by giving money to one of the bombing's perpetrators and providing housing after the attack for Azahari and Noordin. On 21 July, he was convicted of being an accessory by providing a house to Azahari and Noordin, but not to having planned the September attack, and was sentenced to three years in jail. Hidayat was the first man to stand trial related to the embassy bombing. According to the ICG report:
Irun Hidayat was also a central figure. Inducted into Darul Islam by Kang Jaja in 1987 at fifteen, he was in the same class at Serang Islamic High School as Imam Samudra and Heri Hafidin, one of the three owners of CV Sajira. He became a close friend of Rois, and the two went to Ambon in January 2002. Irun became a martial arts instructor in the military training sessions run by Kang Jaja and Rois. Since 1999, Irun also had been the local head of the religious council of the Indonesian Muslim Workers Union (Perserikatan Pekerja Muslim Indonesia, PPIM). He was to call on a fellow unionist to put up the bombers the night before they struck the embassy
Agus Ahmad was also captured and put on trial. He helped one of the core bombers, "Rios", scout for safe houses and transported around 70 kilograms of highly explosive TNT. Arrests in July 2004 near the city of
Solo Solo or SOLO may refer to: Arts and entertainment Comics * ''Solo'' (DC Comics), a DC comics series * Solo, a 1996 mini-series from Dark Horse Comics Characters * Han Solo, a ''Star Wars'' character * Jacen Solo, a Jedi in the non-canonical ''S ...
forced Azahari and Noordin to change their base of operations. Agus used a Daihatsu van to move the explosives to his own house in
Cianjur Cianjur ( su, ᮎᮤᮃᮔ᮪ᮏᮥᮁ) is a town and district in the West Java province of Indonesia, and is the seat of Cianjur Regency. The district of Cianjur is located along one of the main roads between Jakarta (120 km to the northwe ...
, near Jakarta.


See also

*
List of terrorist incidents in Indonesia This is a list of incidents in Indonesia that have been labelled as "terrorism". 1960s * 14 May 1962: Assassination attempt on President Sukarno—a bomb attack in Perguruan Cikini, Central Jakarta, Java. 1970s * 11 November 1976: Bomb attac ...
*
2002 Bali bombings The 2002 Bali bombings occurred on 12 October 2002 in the tourist district of Kuta on the Indonesian island of Bali. The attack killed 202 people (including 88 Australians, 38 Indonesians, 23 Britons, and people of more than 20 other nationalit ...
*
2003 Marriott Hotel bombing The 2003 Marriott Hotel bombing occurred on August 5, 2003 in Mega Kuningan, South Jakarta, Indonesia. A suicide bomber detonated a car bomb outside the lobby of the JW Marriott Hotel, killing 12 people and injuring 150. Those killed including ...
*
2005 Bali bombings The 2005 Bali bombings were a series of terrorist suicide bomb and a series of car bombs and attacks that occurred on 1 October 2005, in Bali, Indonesia. Bombs exploded at two sites in Jimbaran Beach Resort and in Kuta away, both in south Bal ...
*
2009 Jakarta bombings The 2009 Jakarta Bombings were a terrorist attack which took place in Jakarta, Indonesia on 17 July 2009. At around 07:47 until 07:57 WIB (00:47-00:57 UTC), the JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton Hotels in Setiabudi, South Jakarta, were hit by separa ...
*
Philippine consulate bombing in Jakarta The Philippine consulate bombing of Jakarta occurred on 1 August 2000 in Menteng, Jakarta, Indonesia. A bomb was detonated outside the official residence of the Philippine ambassador to Indonesia, Leonides Caday, killing two people and injuring ...


Notes


External links


Reuters article

BBC News article



"Terrorism in Indonesia: Noordins Networks"
International Crisis Group The International Crisis Group (ICG; also known as the Crisis Group) is a transnational non-profit, non-governmental organisation founded in 1995. It is a think tank, used by policymakers and academics, performing research and analysis on global ...

"Combating JI in Indonesia"
Ng Boon Yian

* ttp://collectionsearch.nma.gov.au/ce/australian%20embassy#australian%20embassy?object=128645&_suid=143217098545205630135270928507 Damaged Australian Coat of Arms {{Authority control Embassy bombing in Jakarta 2004 in international relations 2004 murders in Indonesia 2000s in Jakarta 2000s trials 21st-century mass murder in Indonesia Attacks on buildings and structures in 2004 Jakarta bombing Attacks on diplomatic missions in Indonesia Embassy bombing in Jakarta Building bombings in Indonesia Car and truck bombings in Indonesia Islamic terrorism in Indonesia Islamic terrorist incidents in 2004 Jemaah Islamiyah Mass murder in 2004 Mass murder in Jakarta Murder trials September 2004 crimes September 2004 events in Asia Suicide bombings in 2004 Suicide bombings in Indonesia Suicide car and truck bombings in Asia Terrorist incidents in Indonesia in 2004 Terrorist incidents in Jakarta Trials in Indonesia