Indonesia Warns of Possible Attacks

On the eve of the first anniversary of the Bali nightclub bombings, Indonesia warned Saturday that Muslim militants were planning more attacks but insisted that its tourist isle was safe.

Hundreds of survivors and relatives of the 202 dead have flown in from around the world to attend commemorative services this weekend. More than 2,000 Indonesian police officers are on duty to provide security.

Bali Police Chief I Made Mangku Pastika, who led the investigation into the blasts, said militants -- whom he did not identify -- still had significant amounts of explosives and had assembled two bombs.

“The two bombs are not in Bali. In Indonesia, but not in Bali.... These bombs do not contain much metal. So, our metal detectors are not very useful,” he said. He gave no more details.

The first commemoration of last year’s attack was held Saturday in an open-air Christian church overlooking the ocean. It was a small service for the more than 20 Britons who died.

About 35 family members from the United Kingdom and several survivors sang “Amazing Grace” as the sun set. In the distance, a call to prayer echoed from a mosque, one of the few in Bali, a mainly Hindu enclave in the world’s most populous Muslim nation.

Australian Prime Minister John Howard flew in for the main commemorative service scheduled for today, saying he hoped it would provide comfort to the hundreds of Australians who are gathered here. Australia lost 88 countrymen in the attacks.

Many families had already made the pilgrimage to Bali’s Kuta district, where Muslim militants blew up nightclubs crowded with foreign tourists. Fathers, mothers, siblings and friends put up photos of their loved ones or scribbled messages on a board stretching across a fence where the popular Sari Club once stood. Many sobbed and held one another, even embracing strangers.

June Corteen, an Australian who lost her twin daughters Jane and Jenny, 39, said commemorating the tragedy in Bali was vital.

“I think it’s terribly important for me and my family so we can move on. It’s going to be very emotional, I think there will be lots of tears shed, and lots of hugs,” she said.

Police with automatic rifles and sniffer dogs patrolled Kuta.

Nearly three dozen people have been arrested by Indonesian authorities in connection with the Bali blasts.

The Islamic terrorist who coordinated last year’s attack has been sentenced to death. Ali Gufron is a top leader of the Jemaah Islamiah terror network, which is allied with Al Qaeda and is believed to be responsible for dozens of attacks in Southeast Asia, including the Aug. 5 bombing of the JW Marriott Hotel in Jakarta that killed 12 people.