Thousands of Police Guard Religious Sites in Indonesia as Terrorist Threats Increase Over Christmas

Terrorist threats have increased in Jakarta, Indonesia over the Christmas period. A police spokesman announced on December 18 that eighteen thousand police personnel were put out to guard churches and religious sites amid the growing concerns.

Spokesman for police, Colonel Ketut Untung Yoga announced that eighteen thousand police officers would be stationed to guard thousands of churches and other religious sites in Jakarta, fearing of terrorist attacks by the Islamic militants.

"Places of worship are our priority," said Colonel Yoga, according to the AsiaNews.

A Christian radio station had received calls that threatened to bomb the station which is located in Dewi Sartika in east of Jakarta on December 16. The police and bomb squad were later called to inspect the building but they found nothing.

The U.S. Embassy in Jakarta had also received "serious security threat to Americans and other Westerners in Indonesia".

The possible targets were listed, including hotels, malls, businesses, housing compounds, and transportation systems, places of worship, schools or public events, according to AP.

There have been annual bomb attacks in Indonesia since 2000, including a series of coordinated bomb attacks which had killed nineteen people during Christmas Eve in 2000 and last year's New Year Eve attack in a Christian market place in Palu, Sulawesi, which had killed seven people.

The Jemaah Islamiyah militant group, which is thought to be linked with al-Qaeda, was blamed for the attacks.

Although there have been no bomb attacks throughout 2006, the public are fearing an imminent bombing in Indonesia, AP has reported.

Security had also been tightened in Poso, Sulawesi, the region where violence has intensified against Christians and where three Catholics were executed on September 22 after being accused by militants of being responsible for the death of Muslims during religious riots, according to the Asia News.