Islamic terrorist suspected in plot to bomb US embassy in Indonesia

AP:

Indonesia's anti-terror squad arrested 11 people suspected of planning a range of attacks on domestic and foreign targets including the U.S. Embassy and a site near the Australian Embassy, police said Saturday.

The suspects were arrested in raids Friday and Saturday in four provinces, national police spokesman Maj. Gen. Suhardi Alius said.

He said the suspects belonged to a new group called the Harakah Sunni for Indonesian Society, or HASMI.

"From evidence found at the scene, we believe that this group was well prepared for serious terror attacks," Alius said.

Police seized a number of bombs, explosive materials, a bomb-making manual and ammunition, Alius said. They also found a 3-kilogram (6.6-pound) gas cylinder filled with highly explosive material, which had been assembled at a house in the East Java town of Madiun. Videos and images of attacks on Muslims in various parts of the world were also recovered, he said.

Alius said the group planned to target the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta and a plaza near the Australian Embassy and the local office of U.S. mining giant Freeport-McMoRan. It also planned to attack the U.S. Consulate in Surabaya and the headquarters of a special police force in Central Java, he said.

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The group appears to be following Zawahiri's directive but using another name to make it more difficult for the US to respond.  Following the attack in Benghazi, administration officials said they were reluctant to attack one of the groups claiming responsibility because it was not al Qaeda.  They feared it would not be covered by the authorization of the use of force.  Congress should promptly clarify this issue to make clear that any attack by an Islamic group is covered.

The potential attack is further proof that we are a long way from being finished with this war and taht defense cuts at this time are a mistake.