Several loud blasts were heard in the Indonesian capital Jakarta and two nearby towns early yesterday, but one radio report said it could have been a meteor shower.

Police, on high alert after warnings from Western governments of possible terror attacks over the Christmas and New Year period, said they had no information on the blasts.

Local Metro TV reported residents heard the blasts around 7.30 a.m. (0030 GMT) in Jakarta, the satellite city of Tangerang, and also Serang in West Java province. El Shinta radio said it could have been a meteor shower.

More than two hours after the blasts were heard, there were no reports of any casualties or damage, indicating the cause of the explosions was probably not bomb attacks.

Western governments, especially Australia, have warned an international hotel could be targeted for attack, possibly one of the three Hiltons in the world?s most populous Muslim nation.

In Washington, the US State Department issued a fresh warning late last week for Americans to avoid non-essential travel to Indonesia, saying ?the terrorist threat continues and may increase over the December-January holiday period. Re ports indicate that terrorists are planning attacks against a wide variety of targets?.

Islamic militants from Jemaah Islamiah, seen as the regional arm of al Qaeda, have launched bomb attacks in recent years in Indonesia, hitting nightclubs in Bali, the JW Marriott Hotel in Jakarta as well as the Australian embassy in the capital.

On Friday, police found nine homemade bombs packed into cylinders on a bus in West Java. They have detained 15 people including the bus driver over the discovery in the West Java capital Bandung, 140 km (85 miles) southeast of Jakarta.

Police deployed an additional 18 400 personnel for Christmas and New Year to protect churches and entertainment centres across Indonesia.