2003 Aceh New Year's Eve bombing

The bomb, thought to have been triggered by a timer mechanism, detonated around 9:00 PM at a night market in the eastern town of Peureulak.[4][5] According to first responders, the device had been planted beneath a stage, where three local girls were performing.[4][6]

The New Year's Eve festival, attended by hundreds, was allegedly organised by the military.[7] Of the victims, many were teenagers and children; the victims included a 1-year-old girl and a 7-year-old boy who died at the scene, as well as a 4-year-old girl who died in the hospital.[4] Other victims included the mother of two of the children, numerous teenagers,[1] as well as a man later identified as member of GAM.[8] The majority of casualties were treated in Langsa general hospital, which lacked enough surgeons to operate on injured victims; they requested more doctors be sent from the provincial capital Banda Aceh and the North Sumatran city of Medan to supplement them.[1]

Lt. Col. Ahmad Yani Basuki of the Indonesian military described the bomb as powerful and stated that no group but GAM could have staged such an attack, describing Peureulak as a "rebel stronghold".[7] However, a spokesman for GAM denied responsibility, stating the separatist group had never staged an attack to kill Acehnese.[5] Due to a victim being a member of GAM, local police investigated the possibility of a suicide attack; findings were inconclusive.[8] At the time, the Free Aceh Movement separatists had no history of targeting civilians or public bombings.[7]