Terror chief calls bombings warning from God

? New terror fears gripped Asia on Tuesday, sparking security scares at embassies and travel alerts, but Indonesia shrugged off calls to outlaw the militant group suspected in the deadly suicide bombings on Bali island.

Investigators were piecing together evidence from the scenes of the blasts and renewed calls for anyone who recognized photographs of three suicide bombers to step forward.

Two men were being held for questioning, but they have not been named as suspects, said Bali police chief Maj. Gen. I Made Mangku Pastika.

Southeast Asian nations have gone on high alert to prevent a repeat of the Saturday night attacks that killed 22 people.

Adding to tensions, a Muslim cleric jailed for conspiracy in the 2002 bombings that killed 202 people on the same resort island said Tuesday the latest attacks were a warning from God.

Suspicious packages were sent to six Asian and European embassies in Malaysia, forcing evacuations.

The parcels were later dismissed as a hoax, said Abdul Aziz Bulat, police head of criminal investigations.

From his prison cell, Islamic cleric Abu Bakar Bashir said in a statement that the blasts were a sign of God’s displeasure with the Indonesian government.

“I suggest the government bring themselves closer to God by implementing his rules and laws because these happenings are warnings from God for all of us,” said Bashir.