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World - Asia/Pacific

Blast rocks Indonesian mosque

indo mosque
Debris covers the site of an explosion near the Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta

 

April 19, 1999
Web posted at: 8:26 a.m. EDT (1226 GMT)

JAKARTA, Indonesia (CNN) -- An explosion rocked Indonesia's largest mosque Monday, damaging the structure during afternoon prayers. Several people were injured.

The mosque's executive secretary told reporters that he believed the blast was a bomb.

"This is a deliberate act by someone from the outside to create conflict between religions in the hope that we will put the blame on another religious group," said Adang Syafa'at, who urged Muslims not to seek revenge.

Tensions between Muslims and Christians in Indonesia, on the upswing for months, have erupted into violence with increasing frequency, particularly in the country's eastern spice islands.

Following the blast, Indonesian President B.J. Habibie pleaded for calm.

"The president said not to be caught up by the people who want to create unrest," Investment Minister Hamzah Haz told reporters after meeting Habibie. "The president said that this is an attempt to create religious and ethnic conflict."

Haz called the blast "a terrorist act."

The official news agency Antara said Monday's blast occurred in front of the office of the Indonesian Ulemas Council, which represents thousands of Islamic clergymen. At least 15 rooms were damaged, dozens of windows smashed and several pillars cracked in the blast.

About 300 people were in the Istiqlal Mosque reading the Koran when the explosion took place, said Iman Budiman, who works at the mosque. The main prayer hall was not damaged.

Witnesses saw two men on motorcycles leaving the scene immediately after the explosion, Antara said.

About 90 percent of Indonesia's 210 million people are Muslim, making it the world's most populous Islamic nation.

Reuters contributed to this report.



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