COLMAR, Pennsylvania, Sept 9 (AFP) - US President George W. Bush condemns the deadly car bombing outside Australia's embassy in Jakarta and offers his sympathies to the victims' families, his chief spokesman said Thursday.
"This is yet another attack against civilized people everywhere. We condemn this outrageous act," White House spokesman Scott McClellan said as Bush courted voters in this key battleground state.
The spokesman also fingered Islamic extremists for the attack, which left at least nine dead and more than 180 injured, saying: "This is a tactic that is similar to tactics that have been used by Jemaah Islamiyah."
The Jemmah Islamiyah is the Southeast Asian chapter of Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda terror network, regional officials say.
"The president reaffirms our solidarity with the Governments of Indonesia and Australia in fighting the global war against terrorism," which Bush declared after the September 11, 2001 strikes, McClellan said.
"The president conveys his deepest sympathy on behalf of the American people to the families of the victims of the terrorist bombing," McClellan said.
No Australians were harmed in the blast but the attack, which shattered windows of the embassy and damaged a barrier surrounding it, has prompted fears Australia could become a terror target ahead of October 9 polls.
The US State Department said that Washington was prepared to assist the governments of Indonesia and Australia "in any way we can" and hoped the culprits would be brought to justice.
The attack "only strengthens our resolve to fight all forms of international
terrorism," said department spokesman Richard Boucher.
He said that the Australian and Indonesian governments had taken a "courageous, principled, and steadfast approach" to combating terrorism since a blast in the Indonesian tourist resort of Bali in October 2002 which left 202 people dead, including 88 Australians.
"We salute what they (Australia and Indonesia) have done and no doubt will do to bring the perpetrators of this latest horrific act to justice," Boucher said.