Search Continues for Clues in Jakarta Bombing

JAKARTA, Indonesia, July 18, 2009— -- As mourners pray and leave flowers around the site, security forces comb through the wreckage of yesterday's twin bomb attacks that killed nine people.

According to health officials, four fatalities were foreigners. Dozens of civilians were injured, including at least eight Americans. Some of the wounded have been evacuated to Singapore for further medical treatment.

As Clarissa Ward reports on "World News," workers today continue to "painstakingly look for forensic evidence that might give a clue as to exactly what happened and who might be responsible."

The last video images before the bombings are from a surveillance camera at the JW Marriott, one of the two targeted hotels in a high-end business district frequented by foreigners and Indonesia's politically elite.

The grainy color-faded video captures a man wheeling his suitcase in front of the hotel before a blinding blast sends guests running for cover.

Within minutes, a second blast ripped through the restaurant of the Ritz-Carlton where people were eating breakfast.

"The first [thought] that went through my head was, typically with these attacks, there's sometimes a secondary explosion so the most sensible thing seemed to be to get out as fast as possible," said businessman Geoffrey Head, who was on the 23rd floor when he realized what happened.

Police say two bombers checked into the JW Marriott, in Room 1808, as guests on Wednesday and assembled the bombs there using homemade explosives.

Security at the two hotels has come into question. "It would have taken a very determined group of bombers to figure out, even though it was fairly secure, where the weak points were," said Sidney Jones, senior advisor for the Asia Program of the International Crisis Group.

No one has come forward to claim responsibility.

Police point to Noordin Muhammad Top, a Malaysian fugitive who heads a breakaway faction of Southeast Asian terrorist group Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), as their top suspect. With links to al-Qaeda, JI was responsible for the last major attack in Indonesia, in 2003 and also at the Marriott, where 12 people were killed.

Indonesia Working Toward Stability After Attacks

"I'm 200 percent sure this was his work," Nasir Abbas, a former JI commander turned police informant, tells The Associated Press Television News.

Indonesia has, in relatively recent years, maintained security and stability, including during the presidential election that was held peacefully less than two weeks ago.

Re-elected President Yudhoyono, credited with the country's recent stability, inspected the damage at the Ritz-Carlton this afternoon.

"This act of terrorism," Yudhoyono said earlier, "will have wide effects on our economy, trade, tourism and image in the eyes of the world."

As ABC's Clarissa Ward reports, "the bombings are a massive blow for this country which has worked hard to crack down on Islamic terrorist cells."

"I think it's true that the terrorist networks have been substantially weakened," said Asia Program's Jones, who is based in Jakarta. "And I think it's true that the Indonesian government has had major success in weakening the big-name organizations like Jemaah Islamiyah [...] but it shows that there's still the possibility of groups emerging under the radar screen."

The United States has a history of supporting Indonesia in its efforts to combat terrorism. President Obama, who lived in Jakarta during his childhood years, condemned the attacks and called Yudhoyono today.

During the call, the two presidents "reaffirmed the close cooperation between the United States and Indonesia in countering extremism in Southeast Asia and around the world," according to a White House statement. "The President noted that Indonesia's successful election on July 8 reminds the world that Islam, democracy, and diversity can coexist and thrive."

The U.S. aims to help with the investigation, with members of the New York City Police Department and FBI deployed to Jakarta to help local security forces face the challenge of finding new ways to fight this ever-adapting enemy.