'Police traced a bomb threat to the US embassy to Hargobin Tahilramani, an inmate at the Cipinang prison,' head of Jakarta anti-terror unit Rudi Sufahriadi said.

Mr Sufahriadi said Tahilramani had made calls from his mobile phone on April 21, threatening that a bomb planted at the embassy would explode 72 hours later.

He repeated the threat the next day.

Mr Sufahriadi said Tahilramani had also made threats against the Pentagon in 2007 when he was studying in the United States. -- AFP