New threats of violence in Indonesia
Last Updated Sat, 24 Dec 2005 08:42:14 EST
CBC News

Thousands of security forces are on guard across Indonesia amid threats that al-Qaeda-linked militants were planning attacks over the holiday period.

* INDEPTH: Indonesia

Maj. Gen. Firman Gani, Jakarta's police chief, said Jemaah Islamiyah militants might try to retaliate for the death of bomb-making expert Azahari Husin, who was gunned down in a police raid last month.

Azahari's accomplice, Noordin Mohammad Top, remains on the loose. Both men were key members of Jemaah Islamiyah, blamed for a string of attacks, including the 2002 bombing on the Indonesian resort island of Bali.

Jemaah Islamiyah is a militant group dedicated to establishing a Muslim fundamentalist state in the region.

Documents uncovered at Azahari's hideout in the East Java resort town of Batu indicated attacks over Christmas and New Year were being planned, said police.

On its website, the U.S. Embassy posted a message this week warning of the "continued serious security threat" to Americans and other westerners in Indonesia.

Indonesian authorities have recently warned of the possibility that terrorists may be planning to kidnap foreigners over the Christmas and New Year holidays, the embassy said.