Investigators sift for clues from Indonesia bombs

By Sunanda Creagh and Olivia Rondonuwu

JAKARTA (Reuters) - Investigators were sifting through two bomb-damaged luxury Indonesian hotels on Saturday, for clues to those behind suicide attacks that shattered four years of stability in the world's most populous Muslim nation.

Although officials could not say who they believed was responsible for Friday's attacks, suspicion is pointing towards Jemaah Islamiah (JI), the radical militant Islamist group responsible for a string of deadly attacks that seemed to end in 2005.

"It has the signature of our 'friends'," said a retired Southeast Asian police officer now focussed on counterterrorism in the region.

The bombers struck the JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton, luxury hotels popular with businessmen and diplomats and considered to be among the most secure buildings in the capital.

Police told a news conference on Saturday that nine people were killed and 53 wounded in the blasts, revising a previous death toll after investigators had found it difficult to identify some victims from the remains.

"Of the dead, we believe that three we haven't yet identified include the suicide bombers," Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda said earlier.

The casualties included citizens of Indonesia, the United States, Australia, South Korea, the Netherlands, Italy, Britain, Canada, Norway, Japan and India.

The blasts are a severe blow for President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who was re-elected earlier this month in a landslide victory on the back of strong growth in Southeast Asia's biggest economy.