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Explosion kills one in Indonesia's Aceh

JAKARTA: An explosion killed one man and injured two others in Indonesia's troubled Aceh province, state news agency Antara reported on Saturday.

Police had arrested two suspects, it said.

The explosion occurred around midday on Friday in a shopping centre in the industrial city of Lhokseumawe, which is a hotbed of resistance to Jakarta's rule in the staunchly Moslem province. However, most of the shops were closed at the time for prayers.

"The dead victim is named Mochtar Usman, 40. We are still investigating the motive," head of local police Lieutenant Colonel Syafei Aksal was quoted by Antara as saying.

The agency did not state the cause of the explosion, but hundreds have died in recent months in political violence in the province, the northern tip of Sumatra island.

The rebel Free Aceh Movement is fighting for an independent state, a demand which has gained increasing support after years of human rights abuses in the province.

Jakarta has said it will not allow independence. -Reuters