Jakarta – Preliminary police investigations showed that the Monday bombing of the Istiqlal Mosque here was linked to a group calling itself the Mujahidin Islam Nunsantara Movement, police said yesterday.

Jakarta district police chief Major-General Nugroho Djajusman said it had been determined that 13 people in its custody were from the group which was based in Bogor, not far from here.

The 13 were detained in connection with the bombing of the Plaza Hayam Wuruk shopping complex in Jakarta South last Thursday.

The bomb used in the mosque incident was the same as that used at the plaza, Maj-Gen Nugroho said, adding that police were looking for the leader of the group, Usman Amir, 40. Usman's photograph was distributed to the media here in an effort to locate him.

Besides the Hayam Muruk and Istiqlal, the extremist group was also said to be planning to bomb several other targets.

Maj-Gen Nugroho said police identified one of the accused in the Istiqlal case from information provided by witnesses.

The explosion ripped apart several offices on the ground floor of the mosque and injured several people.