Ruslan Sangadji, Poso – A bomb blast jolted Ambon early on Thursday as Muslims prepared to celebrate Idul Fitri, and later in the afternoon, some hundreds of kilometers away, residents in Poso found a homemade bomb in what apparently was renewed efforts by terrorists to reignite sectarian conflict in the two religiously divided areas.
AFP reported that the blast in Ambon occurred at around 3.30 a.m. on a sidewalk and caused no casualties.
"It is estimated that it was a homemade bomb and the sound of the blast was quite strong," Second Inspector Ined Elwarin of Ambon Police said. He declined to give further details. Five people near the blast scene were questioned by police.
Meanwhile, the bomb found in Poso was safely defused by a bomb squad from the Central Sulawesi Police. The small device was first found by local sub-district neighborhood chief Gustaf Tajongga, who saw a suspicious package in front of his house at about 6 p.m., and immediately reported it to the police. It took about an hour for the bomb squad to defuse the bomb.
Tension, which were high in the morning, later dissipated as Muslims celebrated Idul Fitri.
Poso Police chief M. Sholeh said the people who planted the bomb in front of the house clearly wanted to terrorize Muslim residents during the Idul Fitri celebration.
He said that he believed the terrorists initially planned to blow up the bomb in the morning when Muslims gathered for Idul Fitri prayers, but tight security in the area made it difficult for them to carry out their mission.
Meanwhile, thousands of Poso's Muslims gathered on Thursday at the Sintuwu Moso field in front of the regency office building to hear an Idul Fitri sermon.
Police and soldiers were also seen guarding several strategic areas in the city.
Security forces had earlier warned of possible attacks to coincide with the Idul Fitri holiday, following a small bomb that exploded aboard a packed bus just south of Poso on Oct. 27, which seriously injured several passengers.
Tensions increased in Poso following the beheading murders of three Christian schoolgirls last Saturday, with about 1,000 police and soldiers sent to the area amid fears of further violence.
Meanwhile, Central Sulawesi Police chief Sr. Comsr. Oegroseno said police now had descriptions of the schoolgirls' murderers. He declined to provide more details Poso was last hit by serious Muslim-Christian violence in 2000 and 2001, when more than 1,000 people died. Despite a government-sponsored truce at the end of 2001, intermittent violence has continued in the area.