Indonesian President Susilo Bamabang Yudhoyono on Friday asked the intelligence to continuously monitor terrorism groups that possibly plan to launch attacks in the country, the state-owned Antara News Agency reported Saturday.

The president made the statement upon returning to Jakarta from his visits to the United States, Vietnam and Japan.

"The president instructed intelligent officers to persistently detect on the terrorism groups that might carry out strikes," said Police Chief General Da'I Bachtiar after meeting the president.

The meeting was attended by Vice President Jusuf Kalla and scores of ministers, including Security Minister Widodo As and Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda.

Days earlier, the police chief disclosed increasing activities of terrorist cell in the country led by Malaysians fugitives: bomb expert Azhari Husin and terrorist coordinator and recruiter Noerdin Mohammad Top.

He said that police found indication that the cell are preparing other attacks, which prompted the closure of the US embassy in Jakarta.

The most recent bloody blast happened in a market in the town of Tentena in Poso Regency in Central Sulawesi Province, killing 20 people.

This could be a trick to distract attention of Indonesian authorities from the real terrorist target, Bachtiar said.

After it resumed operation on Friday, the US Embassy again gave warning to its citizens here of possible strikes from terrorists.

Source: Xinhua