Double Blast Kills 22 in Indonesian Market

Two bombs exploded yesterday in a packed market in a region of Indonesia blighted by years of sectarian strife, killing at least 22 people and sparking fears that the conflict could escalate after four years of relative calm.

The blasts rocked the predominantly Christian town of Tentena, on Sulawesi island, at 8am. More than 30 people were injured, said local police commander Ricky Naldo.

The first device, planted on a road by the bustling stalls, blew off roofs. Fifteen minutes later a much more powerful bomb exploded beside a bank on the edge of the market, flattening the stalls that were still standing.

'It was complete chaos,' said eyewitness Ones Kamboji. 'People panicked after the first explosion; it was even worse when the second one went off as we were already trying to help the victims.'

Police found an unexploded third bomb outside a nearby church. The injured included at least one child.

Vice President Jusuf Kalla said it was not clear who was responsible but expressed confidence it was not Muslims from the nearby town of Poso, who have for the most part upheld a peace deal he brokered in 2002 after three years of sectarian fighting, which cost 2,000 lives.

'It was carried out by the terrorists,' Kalla said. 'The motive of the perpetrators is to disturb the security situation in Poso.' He said the authorities had picked up intelligence a terrorist attack was likely but had not been able to pinpoint the target.

On Thursday the US closed all its diplomatic missions in Indonesia indefinitely.

Indonesia has suffered a spate of attacks in recent years, including bombings at Bali nightclubs in 2002 and outside the Australian embassy last year. Jemaah Islamiah, an Islamist group linked to al-Qaeda, has been blamed for all of them.