187 Dead! In Night Club Bombing!

[Guest saleen351]

2002

BALI, Indonesia — At least 187 people were killed and 300 injured in Bali Saturday night when a car bomb tore through a nightclub of foreign tourists, the worst single act of terrorism in Indonesia and possibly one of the bloodiest in the world since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

Speculation on who was responsible for the attack has almost immediately centered on the Al Qaeda terrorist network. U.S. officials have long said it operates in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation.

Many of those killed were Australians as well as other foreigners from Canada, Britain, Germany and Sweden. Three Americans were among those injured.

The U.S. State Department said Sunday it was re-evaluating the official U.S. presence in the Southeast Asian nation and advised Americans living or working there to consider leaving.

"We are very much considering this a despicable act of terrorism," said Ralph Boyce, the U.S. ambassador to Indonesia.

The blasts came three days after the State Department issued a worldwide alert for terror attacks and highlighted fears by the United States and others that Indonesia is becoming a haven for terrorists.

The bombing Saturday was on the second anniversary of the Al Qaeda-linked attack against USS Cole off Yemen that left 17 sailors dead.

The Indonesian government's crisis center in Bali said 187 people had died and that 309 were hurt, about 90 of them critically.

Seconds before the main blast, what police said was likely a homemade bomb exploded outside another club about 30 yards away. A third bomb exploded near the island's U.S. consular office, but there were no casualties.

'It Went Up in a Millisecond.'

The main bomb exploded in a Jeep-like car at the Sari Club at the Kuta Beach resort about 11 p.m., blowing the limbs off of clubgoers and engulfing in the flame cars and motorbikes outside. Those vehicles formed a wall of flames blocking people's escape.

"Some poor (man) was laying right on the corner and one of his legs was gone," said Bruce Baker, a tourist from Australia's Gold Coast. "He was quite coherent, he was just saying, 'What's going to happen to me?' I said to him, 'You'll be right, mate, someone will come."'

FNC

The blast left a huge crater at the entrance to the nightclub, which was located in the center of Kuta. It is Bali's biggest tourist area and a maze of clubs, restaurants, shops, hotels and beach bungalows that caters to a younger crowd of tourists and surfers.

The blast ignited a huge blaze -- apparently caused by exploding gas cylinders -- which collapsed the flimsy roof structure, trapping hundreds of revelers inside. Several bodies were strewn among the rubble.

"The place was packed, and it went up within a millisecond," Simon Quayle, the coach of an Australian rules football team, told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio.

Quayle, whose team was visiting Bali, said he made it safely out of the building but eight of his 19 players were missing.

Wayan Putra, a driver at the nearby Poppies hotel, said that after the blast, hundreds of townspeople rushed toward the nightclub but could not get near it because of the intense flames.

The blaze then engulfed a nearby nightclub before racing through about 20 other buildings on the block, heavily damaging many of them.

A bomb squad was investigating both blasts but Indonesian officials declined to provide a motive or blame any group.

International Shock and Outrage

"This is the worst act of terror in Indonesia's history," Gen. Da'i Bachtiar, the national police chief, told reporters at the site of the blast. "We have to be more alert for other acts of terror."

President Megawati Sukarnoputri, whose government has been accused by the United States and its neighbors of being slow to respond to the terror threat, flew to Bali and promised to cooperate with the international community in fighting terrorism.

"The bombings, once again, should be a warning for all of us that terrorism constitutes a real danger and potential threat to the national security," Megawati said.

She later visited the site, tears in her eyes, with security ministers and top generals.

AP

Foreign tourists stand amid the charred remains of a bomb blast at a nightclub in Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia, Sunday.

President Bush said in a statement that the U.S. has offered its assistance to the government of Indonesia to help bring those responsible to justice.

"I offer our heartfelt condolences to the families of all the murder victims from numerous countries and our wish for the swift and complete recovery of those injured in this attack," Bush said. "...We must together challenge and defeat the idea that the wanton killing of innocents advances any cause or supports any aspirations. And, we must call this despicable act by its rightful name: murder."

Boyce said in a television interview that details of Al Qaeda activity in Indonesia uncovered in recent weeks "would indicate that their presence here, as we've always suspected, is in fact one that we can now more or less confirm."

Asked about Indonesian efforts to crack down on terrorism, Boyce said: "I think the efforts are going to have to be redoubled, if not more so, in response to this terrible act, and I think I see every evidence that they are intent on doing so."

Australia's Foreign Minister Alexander Downer had definite ideas about who might have been responsible.

"We don't know yet who is responsible for this. But the organization we've been very concerned about in Indonesia ... is called Jemaah Islamiyah, and it has certainly been responsible for terrorist attacks over the years," Downer said Sunday.

The group, linked to Al Qaeda, allegedly plotted last winter a series of bomb attacks against the U.S., British and Australian embassies and other Western targets in Singapore.

Downer said he believed the Sari nightclub was targeted because it was popular with Australians and other foreigners. Australia has been one of the United States' staunchest allies in its war on terror and has 150 elite troops serving in Afghanistan.

Later Sunday, Australian Prime Minister John Howard said he will launch an urgent review of national security in the wake of the attack. He said the attack demonstrated Australia was not immune from terror.

French President Jacques Chirac said Sunday his country was ready to help Indonesia in every possible way to capture the perpetrators of the "vile" bomb attack on the island of Bali.

Indonesian officials have denied the claims that terrorists are using Indonesia as a base. But the U.S. Embassy in the national capital of Jakarta closed Sept. 10 and remained shut for six days due to what U.S. officials said were threats possibly linked to Al Qaeda.

Days later, a hand grenade exploded in a car near a house belonging to the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta, killing one man. There was conflicting information as to whether the device was meant to harm Americans.

AP

Sunday: Foreign tourists stand amid the charred remains of a bomb blast at a nightclub in Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia.

Authorities in Malaysia and Singapore have alleged that members of Jemaah Islamiyah are based in Indonesia.

Singapore has been pressing Indonesia to arrest Jemaah Islamiyah's alleged leader, Abu Bakar Bashir, who lives in Indonesia. But Indonesian officials say they have no evidence against him

[endo]

sad.. real sad

[digital7]

FUCKERS! ... all of them .... they'll pay

[jasonmarc]

It's a total shame it has come to this. I don't think words can describe how I feel about those innocent people who were just out for a goodtime only to leave in a bodybag. Kill those fucking losers responsible.!!!!!!!! :(

[mrjoebudious]

fu@ked up!!!

could this happen in the us?

i hope we never find out

[lolahotass]

That's just not right......

Death to the fukkers that killed all those innocent people.

Lola:(

[mimid]

Originally posted by lolahotass

That's just not right......

Death to the fukkers that killed all those innocent people.

Lola:(

Took the words right outta my mouth! Those Basterds.....

[koky]

fucking scumbag pieces of shit !! im sorry but i think im gonna get shit for this but , now is a KRUCIAL time for racial profiling !! i know they will complain & scream RACIAL PROFILING !! but you know whut ?? FUCK THEM IF THEY DONT LIKE IT !! they dont understand that all races have gone thru it & should accept it !! blacks , jews , asian , italians etc had it 100 x's worst here in the U.S . & these people (non terrorist from that race) have a fucking fit !! fuck them !! search , interrogate all of them !! im argentinan & if it were argentinan people doing the bombing , id understand & would have to accept some shit !! i know if you are innocent & get treated this way it sucks but when shit like this is going on you have no choice but to just put up with it & hope its over soon... JMO :mad:

[koky]

fucking scumbag pieces of shit !! im sorry but i think im gonna get shit for this but , now is a KRUCIAL time for racial profiling !! i know they will complain & scream RACIAL PROFILING !! but you know whut ?? FUCK THEM IF THEY DONT LIKE IT !! they dont understand that all races have gone thru it & should accept it !! blacks , jews , asian , italians etc had it 100 x's worst here in the U.S . & these people (non terrorist from that race) have a fucking fit !! fuck them !! search , interrogate all of them !! im argentinan & if it were argentinan people doing the bombing , id understand & would have to accept some shit !! i know if you are innocent & get treated this way it sucks but when shit like this is going on you have no choice but to just put up with it & hope its over soon... :mad: WE HAVE TO DO THIS SO SHIT LIKE THIS DOESNT HAPPEN IN OUR NIGHTCLUBS HERE IN THE U.S. !!

[funketeer]

I have read the responses to this thread and I feel the same way most of you do, the responsibles for this act as well as any other acts of terrorism deserve to burn in hell. Although, my thoughts right now are not necessarily focused on revenge or more death for that matter.

I hope the victims find rest for their souls and the survivors recover soon enough to be back on the water.

Today is a dark day for surfers all around the world, you see, Bali has for years been a destination for surfers from all over the world. It has been advertised as a safe place and as it turns out, it is not.

Historicly, this attack totally erases Bali from the destination list for surfers and it menaces with destroying the main income that the people from Bali count on for their economy, adventure tourism...mainly surfing tourism.

Acts such as these, do not benefit anyone...there is nothing to be gained, lifes are lost and innocense is attacked when it is most vulnerable...at the dance floor.

My prayers are with the families of the victims and my most sincere hope of soon recovery with the survivors.

peace to you all

funk

This wave goes out to the victims...they surfed paradise on earth, now they are surfing in heaven.

[vipnerd]

Originally posted by koky

fucking scumbag pieces of shit !! im sorry but i think im gonna get shit for this but , now is a KRUCIAL time for racial profiling !! i know they will complain & scream RACIAL PROFILING !! but you know whut ?? FUCK THEM IF THEY DONT LIKE IT !! they dont understand that all races have gone thru it & should accept it !! blacks , jews , asian , italians etc had it 100 x's worst here in the U.S . & these people (non terrorist from that race) have a fucking fit !! fuck them !! search , interrogate all of them !! im argentinan & if it were argentinan people doing the bombing , id understand & would have to accept some shit !! i know if you are innocent & get treated this way it sucks but when shit like this is going on you have no choice but to just put up with it & hope its over soon... :mad: WE HAVE TO DO THIS SO SHIT LIKE THIS DOESNT HAPPEN IN OUR NIGHTCLUBS HERE IN THE U.S. !!

Koky.........You are right with what you wrote. This shouldn't happen. Don't want to break your balls but, Jews describes a religion, not a race. Italian describes a nationality not a race or religion. And Argentinian is that little guy we all have inside us aka as ego:laugh: :laugh:

Leaving the joke aside, get clear the concepts of race, religion and nationality because there is enough conflict between races, religions and nations, to combine them now.

Peace and love,

Vip

[koky]

Originally posted by vipnerd

Koky.........You are right with what you wrote. This shouldn't happen. Don't want to break your balls but, Jews describes a religion, not a race. Italian describes a nationality not a race or religion. And Argentinian is that little guy we all have inside us aka as ego:laugh: :laugh:

Leaving the joke aside, get clear the concepts of race, religion and nationality because there is enough conflict between races, religions and nations, to combine them now.

Peace and love,

Vip

well , uhhhhhhhhhhhhh you know where im coming from...i wasnt combining them ..just stating that different types of people (whether it be religeous groups, race , ethnic or EGO ) have gone thru some kind of profiling ... blacks went thru race issues , jews went thru religeous issues etc etc ... whutever the case they were all profiled one way or another .. im just saying that if the innocent people from this muslim religeon get pulled over & searched or whatever they should just accept it & if they are innocent they ave nothing to worry about .. but cause they did get searched pulled over etc .. they shouldnt get pissed & start trying to sue the goverment or whoever cause they say they were thrown into a category of people just cause they look like & practice the same religeon.. they must understand whut we are going thru & that we cant take any chances period !! JMHO peace out