The bombing occurred inside a police compound in the West Java town of Cirebon, and many of the victims were officers.

They were rushed to nearby hospitals with wounds to their arms, legs and torsos, said Yeni Rahmawati, a hospital spokeswoman

Indonesia, a secular nation of 237 million with more Muslims than any other in the world, has been hit by a string of al-Qaida-linked suicide bombings since 2002 targeting Western hotels, restaurants and nightclubs.

Many of the 260 people killed in those attacks have been foreign tourists.

In the last year, however, militants seeking to carve out an Islamic state have said the country's moderate leaders and security forces would be their next target.

West Java police chief, Maj. Gen. Suparni Parto, told El-Shinta radio the attack was the work of a suicide bomber, whose mangled corpse was found at the scene.

AP