Indonesia: A small package bomb exploded outside the Indonesian embassy in Paris before dawn yesterday, slightly injuring 10 people and shattering nearby windows, but officials said they had no leads about the motive.
The bomb, left on the pavement next to a thick outside wall of the elegant 19th century building, caused only minor damage to the embassy when it went off shortly after 5 a.m.
Nine of the 10 injured, some of them embassy staff, were taken to hospital, most with slight cuts from flying glass.
French officials spoke of a criminal act while the Indonesian president-elect, Mr Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, condemned the blast as an act of terrorism.
Indonesia has seen a number of bomb attacks in recent years. Some have been blamed on separatist groups and others on Jemaah Islamiah, a southeast Asian group seen as the regional arm of al-Qaeda.
France's Interior Minister, Mr Dominique de Villepin, who rushed to the scene in the capital's wealthy western district, said Paris had no indications of any threat against the embassy.
"This is clearly an act with criminal intentions. As far as we know, there was no specific threat . . . Our investigation will help to verify some points. We obviously have to wait a bit before coming to any conclusions," he said.
In Jakarta, Mr Bambang Yudhoyono said: "I strongly condemn the terrorist act done at the Indonesian embassy in Paris. I do hope the government of France will take appropriate action to bring the perpetrator to justice."
Shortly after the blast, Mr Villepin reviewed security with senior police officials and ordered tighter security for embassies in the French capital, his office said in a statement that gave no other details.
After surveying the damage, the Foreign Minister, Mr Michel Barnier described the attack as a criminal act and expressed France's solidarity "with Indonesia and with all other countries around the world, given our combat against all forms of terrorism".
He did not say whether he saw a terror link in the blast.
Jakarta-based security expert Mr Ken Conboy said separatist groups, such as the Free Aceh Movement (GAM), had been blamed for some blasts in Indonesia in recent years.
But he added: "None of these groups have ever shown any ability to operate outside the region." Mr Conboy said it also seemed unlikely GAM was responsible as the change of president could offer a chance for new talks over the mineral-rich province of Aceh.
The Paris blast came ahead of next week's second anniversary of the nightclub bombings on the Indonesian island of Bali that killed 202 people. That attack was blamed on Jemaah Islamiah. - (Reuters)