Nurdin Hasan, Banda Aceh – Unknown assailants threw a live grenade at the home of an Aceh Party leader early Friday, sparking fears about the resurgence of politically motivated terrorism in the province.

The attack on the house of Izil Azhar, head of the Sabang chapter of the party, occurred at 3:30 a.m. on the outskirts of Banda Aceh. No one was injured in the incident, although some damage was reported to the house's facade and to Izil's car.

Syahrial, the politician's brother, said Izil had just half an hour earlier returned home from the Lampriet area of the city. He added he believed Izil had been meeting with Governor Irwandi Yusuf, who lives in Lampriet and whom the Aceh Party recently announced it would no longer back for re-election in October's gubernatorial polls.

"We were all shocked and we ducked [when the grenade exploded]," Syahrial said, adding there had been six women in the house with them at the time. "We didn't dare look outside until the police arrived."

Banda Aceh Police Chief Sr. Comr. Armensyah Thay said police still had no leads on who the perpetrators were or their motive in targeting Izil's home. "All we've been able to ascertain at this point is the type of grenade used, which we determined from the discarded pin," he said.

The police chief declined to say whether Friday's incident was linked to a spate of similar grenade attacks against politicians between late 2008 and April 2009.

Those attacks, in the lead-up to the 2009 legislative elections, targeted the offices and homes of politicians from several parties, but especially those from the Aceh Party, which was founded by former Free Aceh Movement (GAM) guerilla fighters. Nine men were later convicted for those attacks.

Friday's attack also comes in the run-up to key elections. In conjunction with the gubernatorial election in October, voters in 16 districts and cities in the province will also go to the polls to elect district heads and mayors. Izil, a former marine who deserted to join the GAM, previously served as the separatist group's commander for Sabang, before the Helsinki-brokered peace agreement of 2005 ended the 30-year insurrection and led to the disbanding of the GAM.

In February, police named Izil a suspect for assaulting a Sabang businessman over a soured development project. To date, he has not been detained and the case has not yet gone to trial.