Provincial police have detained at least one man in connection with the New Year's Eve bombing at a Christian market in Palu, Central Sulawesi, in which seven people were killed and 56 wounded.

"The police have questioned over 20 witnesses since the bomb blast. Now the investigation is being focused on this man," said Brig. Gen. Oegroseno, the chief of the Central Sulawesi Police, During a press conference in Palu on Saturday night.

The man, who is "in his-40s" and reportedly a newcomer to Palu, was picked up for questioning about two hours after the bombing. Witnesses recalled that he had been wandering around the bomb site in the Maesa district of the city since Friday night.

In addition to the one arrest, detectives also stepped the search on Sunday for others who may be responsible for the attack in the provincial capital. Officers have set up road blocks around the city and have reportedly raided places believed to be sanctuaries for suspected terrorists, but to no avail. Security was also heightened in most parts of the city with heavily armed officers seen on nearly every street.

Palu is approximately 300 kilometers west of Poso where violent sectarian riots erupted five years go and left almost 2,000 Christians and Muslims dead.

Police have said Saturday's bombing of the Christian market, which is known as a good place to purchase fresh pork and other meat products, was aimed at stoking tension in the volatile province.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono condemned the attack and ordered the police to intensify efforts to hunt down the terrorists.

In May 2004, in the predominantly Christian town of Tentena in the province, another market bombing took place. Nineteen Christian shoppers were killed. Central Sulawesi is one of just a handful of provinces with a significant proportion of Christians.

Separately, the Indonesian Military mourned on Sunday the loss of one of its soldiers in the bombing. The soldier, Chief Sgt. Tasman Lahansa, 35, and his wife Postalina Manis Mandey were found dead in the market. The soldier, an intelligence officer, was at the market with his wife shopping for fresh food to prepare for their New Year's Eve dinner.

After a military ceremony, the remains of the two were flown on Sunday to their hometown of Sangir Talaud in North Sulawesi province.

Indonesian officials, including security minister Widodo A.S., have speculated that the latest terror attack in the country could be connected to "a terrorist network" but did not specifically name al-Qaeda-linked Jamaah Islamiyah (JI). The police added that the bombing did not bear the hallmarks of JI's Noordin M. Top-Azahari cell of the organization. Azahari, a key bomb maker for JI, was killed during a police raid in East Java on Nov. 9, but his accomplice, Noordin, is still at large.

The bombing on Saturday occurred despite 1,000 police and military reinforcement troops deployed to the area a month ago. The province experienced a string of terror attacks in the latter half of 2005, which have included shootings, bombings and schoolgirl beheadings.

Separately, a bomb scare took place in Bandarlampung, where a bomb was found on Saturday morning in the vicinity of a house belonging to a city councillor. Nurhasanah, from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle faction, is also the speaker of Bandarlampung council.

The police are investigating the case.