Ten Years Ago, July 17, 2009, JW Mariott Hotel Jakarta Was Bombed

INDHIE | Right on today’s date, ten years ago on Friday, July 17, 2009, two luxury hotels in Mega Kuningan, Jakarta, Indonesia, JW Marriot and Ritz-Carlton Hotels, were bombed. Bombs detonated at around 7:47 AM to 7:57 AM. This event was later called “the 2009 Jakarta Bombing”. This tragedy resulted 9 people dead and 50 injured.

The Indonesian police also found a bomb that had not been detonated in JW Marriott Hotel room no 1808. This is owned by hotel guests who came two days before the incident.

This bombing took place only nine days after Indonesian President Election 2009 which Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Boediono won the election.

After bombing, JW Marriot hotel was closed for 2 weeks and was renovated again. The United States Ambassador, Cameron Hume, officially opened the hotel that belonging to the United States on Friday 31 July 2009.

JW Warrot is one of the largest hotel chains in the world founded by John Willard Marriott Sr. He opened this hotel for the first time in Washington, United States. Was considered to be one of the symbols of US supremacy around the world, the JW Marriot hotel was often the target of terrorism bombings.

Previously, JW Mariott Jakarta hotel had also been the target of a suicide bombing on August 5, 2003. With greater explosive power, the bombings left 12 people dead and more than 150 injured.

This series of bombings allegedly involved the name Noordin M Top, a Malaysian. Since the Bali Bombing 2002, Noordin and Dr Azahari (also Malaysians) have become main suspects. The FBI placed Noordin in third place of most wanted person in 2006.

In an ambush by the Special Detachment 88 (Densus 88), Indonesian Police anti-terrorism special unit, in Batu, Malang, November 9, 2005, Azahari was killed but Noordin was able to escape.

After the bombing of Mega Kuningan, Jakarta, 2009, Noordin was also being the bombing main suspected. He was thought to have died at the ambush of Densus 88 in Temanggung, Central Java, on August 8, 2009. However, apparently the dead were Ibrohim, one of the perpetrators of the 2009 JW Marriot-Ritz Carlton bombing.

Noordin was finally shot dead on September 17, 2009 in Kepuhsari village, Mojosongo village, Jebres, Surakarta. (*)