Jakarta – Around 500 members of the Islamic Defenders Front militant group attacked several nightspots in the Indonesian capital yesterday, damaging three cars but causing no serious injuries.

The group, one of several hardline Islamic organisations in the nation, occasionally vandalises entertainment spots in Jakarta.

Most analysts said, however, that its actions were motivated more by the opportunities they provided for protection money than by religious ideals.

Police Sgt Rustandi said the hardliners toured the capital in a convoy of vehicles, stoning a discotheque and wrecking equipment at two late-night pool joints.

No arrests were made, he said. "We tried to persuade them to leave the scene but when they attacked we were outnumbered," he said.

Indonesian police have been accused of failing to crack down on the group, which was allegedly set up and funded by wealthy generals close to the leadership of former president Suharto. He was forced from office in 1998 after 32 years in power.

The raids were launched in the early hours of the Islamic holiday of Isra' Mi'raj, which commemorates Prophet Muhammad's miraculous temporary ascension to heaven.

The Islamic Defenders Front has been one of the most vocal critics of the United States-led war on terror. It has threatened to hold large demonstrations if the US attacks Iraq. No one from the group was available for comment yesterday.