'I am a terrorist target,' claims SBY

The Jakarta Post , JAKARTA | Sat, 07/18/2009 10:31 AM | Headlines

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said Friday the perpetrators of the hotel bombings may have been part of a new group of terrorists who were also targeting him in a bid to derail the presidential election.

“This is a black day in our history,” Yudhoyono said in his address to the nation after a closed-door meeting with top security officials.

“This act of terrorism was carried out by a group of terrorists who may not be from the network we currently know of.”

Visibly emotional, the President condemned the attack and pledged to bring to justice those responsible.

“I swear in the name of the Indonesia people that the government will take firm, appropriate and correct action,” he said.

However, he stopped short of saying the bombers came from the same group he claimed was bent on sabotaging his re-election.

“This is based on intelligence reports, not gossip or rumors,” Yudhoyono said.

He went on to say the group had planned to occupy the General Elections Commission (KPU) during the ballot counting.

“Indonesia was going to be made like Iran, and at the end Yudhoyono would not be allowed to be sworn in,” he said.

“In the past, there were those who got away with crimes, murder and making people disappear; this time, the state will not allow them to escape to become draculas and spread death.”

The President’s provocative statements met with rebuke and outrage from defeated rivals.

Prabowo Subianto, the vice presidential candidate of Megawati Soekarnoputri, denounced the President’s heated words at a time when “the nation needed calm”.

“There was not even a thought of expressing disappointment in such a heinous act,” he said at his campaign headquarters in Central Jakarta.

Similarly, Megawati said that “if Yudhoyono knew about the terrorist's plans, why didn’t he order police to directly take action?”

Vice President Jusuf Kalla echoed condemnation of the attacks, while also stressing that they had nothing to do with the election.

“There's no relation at all between the bombings and presidential election,” he said, adding such an attack must have been planned months ahead.

Asked about rumors that the bombings were masterminded by those who lost the election, Kalla said, “Do you mean me and Ibu Megawati? We have nothing to do with it.”