Indonesia braces for potential terror attacks

A policeman stands guard in front of the Cathedral ahead of Christmas Eve in Jakarta yesterday. Indonesian security forces braced for potential Christmas Eve terror attacks by extremists believed to be intent on marring the holidays in the world's most populous Muslim nation.. PHOTO: AFP

"We are focusing on preventive measures. It is not impossible for them (extremists) to show up later tonight. Therefore, we must not be complacent," Jakarta police chief Major General Firman Gani told ElShinta radio.

National deputy police spokesman Anton Bahrul Alam said bomb squads nationwide were inspecting places where crowds typically converge.

"Together with the military, the Indonesian police are conducting inspections on suspicious materials in all potentially dangerous areas, such as shopping malls, offices, foreign missions and churches," he told AFP.

A police bomb squad scoured Jakarta's main cathedral, where East Timorese President Xanana Gusmao was expected to attend mass later in the evening, according to a government official.

Jakarta police deployed about 50 men in six anti-bomb units to search for explosives in major churches across Jakarta and its West Java suburb of Bekasi, said Dwi Suseno, the deputy chief of the city's bomb squad unit.

"We are only conducting searches at major churches but we will do the same operation at smaller churches if they ask us to scour the premises," he said.