East
Asia, Pacific Indonesia and Jakarta
The
U.S. Embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia has been informed of planned demonstrations
in Jakarta and Medan. Today, Monday, September 17 there will be a demonstration
in Jakarta starting at 12:00pm. Approximately 1,000 people are expected to march
from the Hotel Indonesia Circle outside of Grand Indonesia to the U.S. Embassy.
A demonstration also started in Medan today at around 9:00am. Another protest is
planned in Medan for tomorrow, Tuesday September 18. The U.S. Embassy has been
informed by the Indonesian National Police that approximately 150 police will be
present in Medan and approximately 1,500 police will be present in Jakarta
during the demonstrations. We advise, as always, that people should avoid large
crowds and other gatherings that might turn violent. We will continue to monitor
the situation and provide updates if needed. more...
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Brisbane Times reported: A mob of Indonesian Islamists waving jihad flags attacked the US embassy yesterday, throwing rocks and bricks, but they were repelled by tear gas and riot police. About 500 people from a number of radical groups were protesting against the movie The Innocence of Muslims by calling for the arrest and death penalty for the movie’s director Sam Bacile and the Florida preacher Terry Jones who had planned to show the film.
Shouting ”Allahu Akbar” and ”F— America,” the mob, many of whom were masked, marched on the embassy and began to attack. Riot police were initially caught unprepared and without their shields. Volleys of rocks and bricks, broken from the pavement, rained on the police and embassy guards. Local television stations were also reporting that petrol bombs were thrown. One guard was separated from the building and pursued by a mob. It appeared he was eventually caught by a large group of protesters and surrounded, though it is not known what happened to him. A police officer was carried from the scene by his comrades, with reports variously suggesting he had been hit by a rock or stabbed in the face.
