Suicide Bombers Strike Indonesia: Al-Qaeda-linked-group prime suspect

At 7am on the morning of 17 Jul 09, there were explosions at the Marriott and Ritz Carlton Mega Kuningan hotels in Jakarta, Indonesia. At least 9 people are confirmed dead and 50 injured at this time. 8 of the 50 injured are American. Officials said these numbers are expected to increase. The Ritz-Carlton blast occurred approximately five-minutes after the Marriott blast, and both are said to have been executed by suicide bombers.

CNN's Anderson Cooper interviewed Jakarta resident, Greg Wollstonecraft, by phone. Wollstonecraft lives across the street from the Ritz-Carlton. Wollstonecraft, who works from a local Indonesian TV station as the Chief Technical Officer, was returning home from a walk when he heard the first blast go off. As he ran down the stairs to see what was happening he heard the second blast. He immediately went over to get a closer look, and actually got inside the Airlangga restaurant (Inside the Ritz) where the bomb had exploded. He saw bodies laying everywhere, and he even claimed to see what appeared to be the suicide bomber’s mangled body. Wollstonecraft claimed that he lived in the Ritz Carlton for 12 months and he is perplexed how anyone could have snuck a bomb through such incredibly tight security. He said that they must have had some inside help. "The inside of the Airlangga restaurant has been totally devastated," Wollstonecraft said.

No group has come forward as of yet to claim responsibility for the attacks, but it is said to have been executed by known terrorist group, Jemaah Islamiya. This group is closely linked to Al-Qaeda, and is responsible for several attacks in Indonesia, including the 2002 nightclub bombing in Bali; which killed 220 people. Abu Baker Bashir is said to be Jemaah’s spiritual leader. Terror expert, Rohan Gunaratna, told CNN that he has “no doubt that Jemaah was responsible for this attack.” Bomb Squads and other forensics experts have been deployed to sweep the area for evidence and to check for further possible explosives.

Officials reported finding an undetonated bomb in a room on the 18th floor of the Ritz. It is said to have been the control-room for the terrorists. It is not known as of yet whether the men who were in the room were the bombers themselves, or if there were others who have since vanished. The occupants of the room had checked in a couple of days prior. Authorities did confirm that a group of 4 men checked in. Police will certainly be viewing the security footage to identify the room’s occupants and see if they can tie them to a specific group. Although there has not been confirmation on exactly which group was involved, most are just about certain that it was Jemaah. Officials say that the undetonated bomb found in the Ritz is very similar to a cache of explosives found in a house in West Java, Indonesia just 2 weeks ago. The explosives found there are linked to Jemaah Islamiya and specifically to Indonesia’s most wanted terrorist, Noordin Mohd Top; who was the mastermind behind the bombing in Bali in 2002.

Some say that the timing of the attack is significant, because it is a Muslim holiday and that observant Muslims would not be located in such locations. Gunaratna says that these groups will attack whenever they feel is the best time to take down a target, regardless of what day. The message that the group is sending is quite clear: to show that they are still a very capable terrorist organization. Indonesian authorities have arrested hundreds of Jemaah over the course of the last 7 years in a serious effort to crack down on the group’s activities. This is the first terrorist attack in Indonesia in more than 3 years. However, it seems as though Jemaah is having a resurgence of sorts, and they are clearly trying to demonstrate this with these attacks. Note: The fact that these were two American-owned hotels is not an accident.

President Barack Obama released a statement early this morning:

"The American people stand by the Indonesian people in this difficult time, and the U.S. government stands ready to help the Indonesian government respond to and recover from these outrageous attacks as a friend and partner.”

Affected guests from both hotels who have not been killed or injured have been relocated to Marriott Mayflower Apartments and Ritz Pacific Place, respectively.

YOU CAN’T CHOKE THE TRUTH; The Revolution will be Twitterized

The protests in Iran have reached epically tragic levels today. More and more violent footage continues to stream in through Twitter and Facebook, despite the Iranian government’s attempts to slow-down and even shut-down internet access. Ahmadinejad “allegedly” won the election by receiving 62% of the vote, but many of the Iranian people feel that the election was rigged, and that Mousavi should have won. For the first time an Iranian elect campaigned with his wife. Mousavi appears to come from a more open-minded point of view. This has clearly scared and threatened the zealots; which also happen to be the elite. But this is not as much about Mousavi as it is about the people wanting a change from the current and past oppressive nature of the government!

Women especially have been oppressed in Iran, and they are playing a big part in the protests. Iranian culture has grown so much! No longer are they speaking of the utopian dream; they actually want democracy! This may be because nearly half the Iranian population is under 30 years old. This is because of the Iran/Iraq war. So many Iranian’s were lost that the Iranian government heavily encouraged their people to proactively procreate. In essence, the government created its own home-grown enemies.

Perhaps the most disturbing footage is that of a young Iranian woman by the name of Neda being shot in the chest by Iranian Government security forces. Neda literally means voice, rough translation: voice of Iran. Neda’s death has sparked the protesters and has made Neda a martyr, and in Iran that’s very bad news to those in power. (See link at the bottom for video footage).

This is absolutely SICK, and there is no better word to describe it. Iranian official’s have slowed internet connections and heavily restricted journalistic efforts. In order to enter Iran as a foreign journalist one must first get the proper credits, and then have the displeasure of having an Iranian appointed translator to report back to government everyday regarding what the foreign journalist said.

The latest disturbing footage shows amateur footage of night-raids on civilians by Iranian officials. The horrifying screams of civilian dismay and confusion remind me of another similar nightmare: Jonestown. But unlike Jonestown, this is much a more aggressive and brutal; if that’s possible. The screaming and sounds of terror from many go on and on for what seems like an eternity. When the society that you are a part of makes you a target there is no greater alienation! This is another example that each society is a cult of its own. This is the world we live in tonight people. I ask you: Does it have to be your family woken in the middle of the night at gunpoint for you to feel this? Does it have to be your mother shot dead in the street for this to interest you?

More reports have just come in that protesters are being thrown off bridges. Fire and chaos rained down in Iran’s capitol, Tehran, today. Yet, the big question remains: What will President Obama do? Republican’s have been quick to jump on Obama for not being vocal enough or taking action. They say that while this is happening the president was eating ice cream with his two children. What the critics fail to acknowledge is that U.S. intervention up to this point would have made us seems as antagonizes. The way this has played out is clearly a thorough discontent of the Iranian people. This move by Obama (to let the situation bolster itself) is brilliant! This is the right move for the president, because it lets the American people (and the world) weigh in, which includes the U.N.

Moreover, Obama has stated that this type of behavior by the Iranian government is not acceptable and will not be tolerated. The president is being smart, patient, and measured in his steps. It’s best for him to not say too much right now. Remember, you can’t “walk-back rhetoric.” However, you can slowly walk it forward. Let’s also remember that we are currently fighting a war in Iraq, a war in Afghanistan, a major economic crisis, and new threats from N. Korea (threatening that they are going to “wipe the United States off the map”). We need to see how this unfolds. The world knows what side that we are on. We do not want to step in only to not be able to back up our rhetoric later. Let us also remember that hasty and emotional moves are usually the wrong ones; such as us rushing into war with Iraq over bogus claims that they had nukes. Plus, why give Iran even more reasons to blame this on us. Oh yes, that would play right into the Iranian official’s hands.

We all wanted something different in our president, which is why we elected Obama. We must give him a chance to prove it. And don’t believe that Obama is not tough. In his first 100 days the commander and Chief gave the order to kill the three pirates, which saved Captain Richard Phillips. I would, however, like to see Obama use this opportunity to speak on democracy and human rights. I would like to see him go and do a big speech at the statue of liberty. This would be historic. Obama said that he wants to wait to see what happens or “how it will end.” I want him to come out and say, “This is how it’s gonna end!” However, I think that Obama and his administration have a plan, but they don’t want it revealed just yet. I have faith that he will do the right thing, but if he doesn’t, I will be the first to report it, I promise!

In the mean time, let us pray for the protesters in Iran, because this is far from over!

WARNING: Disturbing footage…

http://www.inquisitr.com/26835/video-neda-iran-one-life-lost-for-a-greater-cause/

Obama Picks the Winner

Although many have criticized President Barack Obama for taking time away from fixing the economy to fill out his NCAA bracket, Obama has picked the winner. Tonight, the North Carolina Tar Heels (NC) beat the Michigan State Spartans (MS) to become the 2009 NCAA National Champions.

final score: NC (89) – MS (72).

Even though some would say that it wasn’t that big of a stretch to pick NC before the start of the tournament, let us remember that Louisville was the favorite, and the team that most people had chosen.

MS made a valiant effort, but in the end, they were no match for Tyler Hansbrough, Ty Lawson, and NC’s strong presence inside.

Obama is now 1 – 0 as president in choosing the NCAA champion. He should have at least 3 more chances as president to defend his record. Now let’s see if he can keep the streak going.