Police Monday scrutinized an amateur video showing a man apparently with a backpack entering a Bali restaurant seconds before one of three suicide bombings that killed up to 27 people and wounded 122.

A top anti-terrorism official said the investigation into Saturday's attacks was focusing on Muslim militants blamed for previous bloody bombings in the world's most populous Muslim nation.

Investigators released chilling video footage late on Sunday of a man in a black shirt and jeans strolling into a restaurant on the resort island, followed almost instantly by an explosion.

Three separate bombs tore through restaurants packed with Saturday evening diners, many of them foreign tourists. Two were outdoor seafood eateries on Jimbaran Beach and one a steak bar at Kuta Beach, an area surrounded by popular shops.

Most foreign tourists appeared to be staying in Bali, unlike the mass exodus after the nightclub bombings by al-Qaida-linked Jemaah Islamiah (JI) militants three years ago which killed 202 people.

"Up until 2 o'clock Monday there had been no exodus and the arrival rate was normal, but I'm not saying that there is no or little impact from this incident," said I Gde Pitana, a senior official at Indonesia's Tourism Ministry.

The attacks were the latest of a series of bombings in Indonesia in recent years. Several have been against Western targets, hurting tourism and raising investors' security fears.

Markets were largely unaffected by Saturday's nearly simultaneous blasts.

Jemaah Islamiah the prime suspect

Asked Monday if Jemaah Islamiah militants appeared to be behind the blasts, Ansyaad Mbai, a top Indonesian counter-terrorism official, said: "Yes, the investigation is moving to that direction."

In terms of whether that specifically meant Jemaah Islamiah and two of its fugitive leaders, Malaysians Azahari bin Husin and Noordin M. Top, Mbai said:

"What is clear and important from this incident is that all those groups who have been here for some time still have the capabilities to operate. This group is not dead."

Mbai, head of the counter-terrorism desk at the office of the chief security minister, said he thought Azahari and Top were still in Indonesia. "The latest incident clearly shows they have activities," he added.

Vice-President Jusuf Kalla told reporters, when asked about JI involvement: "We just wait until the investigation result is announced. What we know so far is only that this was suicide bombing. I hope we can arrest the perpetrators soon."

Indonesia's police were placed on top alert nationwide.

One reason experts link Jemaah Islamiah to the blasts is the use of suicide bombers, typical of their attacks.

Severed heads recovered

Investigators hoped to quickly identify the bombers Monday with photographs of their severed heads circulating in newspapers nationwide. Police also sought three accomplices believed to still be on the resort island.

The suspects in the bombings were believed to have been fitted with explosive belts that blew apart their torsos. But their heads were intact, swollen and bruised but remarkably well-preserved, said Indonesian anti-terror official Major General Ansyaad Mbai.

That and the chilling video capturing a suspected bomber strolling past diners at one of the cafes moments before it was blown up could provide a tremendous boost to the investigation.

Mbai said results could come within days, adding that police think at least three other people were involved in the attacks and probably were still at large on Bali.

"If the past is any precedent, they have planned safe houses and lying low, letting the first dragnet pass over head," said Ken Conboy, a Jakarta-based security consultant and author of an upcoming book on terrorism in Southeast Asia.

Mbai said police believe the bombs, which were packed with ball bearings to inflict maximum damage over a wide area, were detonated by mobile phone.

Death tolls have varied because the blasts dismembered the bodies, making them hard to count.

Foreign police assisting investigation

Police were going from room to room interviewing survivors at Bali hospitals. Australian police were also assisting in the investigation, sorting through the wreckage for clues.

Monday morning a team of what appeared to be four foreign forensics experts was seen entering the Kuta Beach bomb site.

Authorities have enlisted the help of a former Jemaah Islamiyah operative to help track down the masterminds in Saturday's bombings.

Nasir Abbas, who has testified against former colleagues in trials, arrived on Bali two hours after the blasts, working as an informant for police.

"Police are using him to help find which group is behind this operation, former terrorists can help give details," Mbai said.

There were no immediate claims of responsibility. Typically groups have not taken credit for major bombings in Indonesia.

Bali hospital officials said Monday that 16 of 27 dead had so far been identified - 14 Indonesians, one Australian and one Japanese.

Hospital officials had said earlier that the wounded included 64 Indonesians, 20 Australians, seven South Koreans, four Americans, three Japanese, one French, and one German, with other nationalities unknown.

Most of the victims were being treated at nearby Denpasar hospital, while others were flown to Darwin in northern Australia and Singapore.

Tourists scared

Many Australians cut short their stay on Bali, which is Indonesia's most popular destination for foreign tourists.

"Our hotel is opposite where the blast went off. We are not happy we're staying here. We are going home tonight," said Gail Cross, from Australia. "I do love Bali. But I have children. And what has happened has frightened us."

Australian tourist Vicky Griffiths was dining with her husband, Kim, when the bombers struck at a packed seafood restaurant, throwing her over a table and to the ground. She told Australian television on Sunday that she was able to get up and walk away.

"But I didn't realize I had the ball bearings in my back until they X-rayed me. I've had a lot of pain. I thought it was a broken rib, but I've got ball bearings from the blast," said the woman from Newcastle, in eastern Australia.

In one neighbourhood in Bali, residents erected a banner reading: "What has my Bali done to deserve this?"

Drinks vendor Carsen was among many Balinese residents whose shock over the carnage has started turning to anger after attackers again targeted the tropical resort island, which relies heavily on tourism.

"When we catch these guys, there's no point providing them with defense lawyers, just ... let us punish them," said Carsen, who goes by one name.

Source: China Daily