Ohio State University professor can discuss bombing in Bali

In the wake of a terrorist attack in Bali, Indonesia, that killed more than 180 people Saturday night, the country’s defense minister said yesterday that the al-Qaida network was linked to the bombing.

The defense minister suggested that al-Qaida assisted Jemaah Islamiyah, an Indonesian extremist group, with the bombing – the most deadly terrorist assault since the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. In addition to the 180 killed, at least 300 people were injured, including at least four Americans.

William Liddle, political science professor at The Ohio State University, is an expert on Indonesia. He says the Jemaah Islamiyah terrorist group, which denies its involvement in the attack, is a loosely established group that appears to have ties to the al-Qaida network. Liddle can be reached at (614) 292-1356 or (614) 292-7957.