Santa joins Indonesian security sweep
Santa isn't just filling stockings in Indonesia. He's also checking packages for bombs in the world's most populous Muslim nation where authorities are gearing up to prevent possible militant attacks.
More than two dozen hotel security men dressed like Santa Claus in red outfits with white trims used metal detectors to inspect cars entering a five-star hotel in the heart of Jakarta, where malls and hotels are all dressed up for Christmas.
As policemen with machine guns looked on, some of Jakarta's Santas frisked visitors and opened bags to check for any unwanted Christmas gifts.
"We're doing this to celebrate Christmas. Hopefully, we can do this again next time," Nyoman, one of the 27 security guards dressed up as Santa Claus at Mandarin Hotel, told Reuters.
Indonesian police are gearing up to prevent possible terror attacks during the Christmas and New Year's celebrations, deploying 61,000 personnel throughout the archipelago, a senior police official said on Friday.
Indonesia has already seen sporadic bombings blamed on the al Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiah, a militant Southeast Asian network.
Police across Indonesia, a sprawling archipelagic nation of 17,000 islands, have stepped up security measures to prevent attacks, including a repeat of 2000 Christmas Eve bombings of churches in several Indonesian cities which killed 19 people.
More than two dozen hotel security men dressed like Santa Claus in red outfits with white trims used metal detectors to inspect cars entering a five-star hotel in the heart of Jakarta, where malls and hotels are all dressed up for Christmas.
As policemen with machine guns looked on, some of Jakarta's Santas frisked visitors and opened bags to check for any unwanted Christmas gifts.
"We're doing this to celebrate Christmas. Hopefully, we can do this again next time," Nyoman, one of the 27 security guards dressed up as Santa Claus at Mandarin Hotel, told Reuters.
Indonesian police are gearing up to prevent possible terror attacks during the Christmas and New Year's celebrations, deploying 61,000 personnel throughout the archipelago, a senior police official said on Friday.
Indonesia has already seen sporadic bombings blamed on the al Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiah, a militant Southeast Asian network.
Police across Indonesia, a sprawling archipelagic nation of 17,000 islands, have stepped up security measures to prevent attacks, including a repeat of 2000 Christmas Eve bombings of churches in several Indonesian cities which killed 19 people.