Two bombs rock shopping mall in Indonesia's capital
Associated Press
JAKARTA, Indonesia - Two powerful bombs rocked the parking garage of a busy shopping mall yesterday in Jakarta, injuring several people.
The bombs badly damaged eight cars on the second-level lot at Atrium Plaza mall, but no deaths or serious injuries were reported, police said.
"The two bombs were made of high explosives that were detonated with timers linked to the battery of one car," Jakarta police spokesman Lt. Col. Anton Bachrul Alam said.
No one claimed responsibility for the attack at the mall, the site of a bombing last month as well.
The blasts came just days after Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri held talks with President Bush at the White House and became one of the first leaders to support his war plans in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks on Washington and New York.
Police said it was too early to determine if yesterday's bombings were politically motivated.
Almost 90 percent of Indonesia's more than 200 million people are Muslim, making it the world's most populous Islamic nation. Several militant religious groups, some allegedly with links to foreign terrorist networks, have come to prominence in recent years amid political and economic turmoil.
A number have threatened to act if the United States launches strikes against Islamic nations in retaliation for the attacks.
"I heard a really big explosion and then the manager yelled out that everyone should get out of the store. There are so many people shopping," said Dewi Puspita Wati, an employee of the Matahari department store.
Some witnesses said they heard three blasts, but police said the third blast might have been an exploding gasoline tank.
The mall, a nearby market and bus station have all been hit by bombings, other attacks and riots in the past.
Five people were injured in a bombing at the mall Aug. 1. A man from neighboring Malaysia with alleged ties to an extreme Islamic group that espouses jihad, or holy war, was later arrested.
Several Indonesians linked to bombings of Christian churches and buildings in recent months were also arrested. Police tied them to groups that have taken part in a bloody sectarian conflict with Christians in Indonesia's Maluku Islands, also known as the Moluccan Islands, where thousands have been killed during the past three years.
9-month-old girl in serious condition after being kidnapped
Associated Press
TAMPA, Fla. - A 9-month-old girl was kidnapped, raped and abandoned in a wooded area, and was hospitalized in serious condition yesterday.
Randolph Standifer, 21, was charged with kidnapping, capital sexual battery and attempted first-degree murder, and was being held without bail. He faces a possible life sentence if convicted.
Standifer told detectives he took the baby from her crib Saturday morning, said Hillsborough County Sheriff's Col. David Gee. Standifer, a friend of the baby's family, had spent the night at their home after a party.
Gee said Standifer failed a polygraph, and then admitted the attack and gave police directions to the spot where he had left the child.
Deputies expected to find the girl dead, but Detective Mike Conigliaro saw a tiny hand thrust up from beneath a layer of leaves and branches.
"She reached for (Conigliaro), grabbed him and wouldn't let go," Gee said. "She probably couldn't have survived there much longer."
The baby was dehydrated and covered with insect bites after being in the woods for 10 hours, officials said.
Woman dies after theme ride fall
Associated Press
BUENA PARK, Calif. - A woman died after falling out of a ride at Knott's Berry Farm theme park, officials said Saturday.
Lori Mason-Larez, 40, died of extensive injuries sustained on the attraction, said Bruce Lyle, supervising deputy of the Orange County coroner's office. Park spokeswoman Susan Tierney said Mason-Larez fell from the ride late Friday even though her seat belt and lap bar "were in their correct and locked position."
The ride, a combination roller coaster and water slide called the "Perilous Plunge," remained closed Saturday, and officials were investigating. Tierney said Mason-Larez was injured at about 10:20 p.m. on the ride, which features a 115-foot drop into a 650,000-gallon pool.
The death was the second this month involving a visitor to Knott's Berry Farm.
Earlier this month, Justine Dedele Bolia, 20, died of a brain aneurysm after losing consciousness on Knott's Montezooma's Revenge roller coaster. Final autopsy results are pending.
Al Tafazoli, manager of the Southern California Amusement Ride Office of the state Department of Occupational Health and Safety, did not return a call for comment yesterday.
