Millions of Indonesians returned on Monday to their villages in the world's most populous Muslim country to celebrate an end to the Islamic fasting month, colored by attacks and terror warnings elsewhere in the world.

Eid al-Fitr holidays on Tuesday and Wednesday cap a season of death and destruction in the Middle East, where suicide attacks from Turkey to Saudi Arabia killed at least 150 people and wounded hundreds.

Some analysts had warned of attacks globally in the run-up to Eid al-Fitr, saying the heightened religious fervor of the Ramadan appears to encourage militancy.

Indonesia, where up to 90 percent of the more than 210 million people profess to be Muslim, saw bombing attacks blamed on militants in Bali last year that killed 202 people and at a luxury hotel in Jakarta this August that killed 12.

But police say they do not see a seasonal increase in the threat as people swarm back home for the holidays.

"Based on our latest analysis on that issue, we do not perceive that," Basyir Achmad Barmawi, national police spokesman, told Reuters.

"But police will always stay alert for that because we still have Azahari and other suspects to chase."

FEARED MILITANTS AT LARGE

Azahari is one of the most feared Muslim militant suspects in Southeast Asia, and police say he and fellow Malaysian militant Noordin Top are at large in Indonesia plotting attacks.

"Of course there are some improvements from security measures in previous years," Barmawi said.

"We have conducted a large amount of socialization to the community. We also have asked people to provide us with any information. All this would bring a deterrent effect."

As is typical during the season in Indonesia, which has suffered from various forms of violence and unrest in recent years, there has been a major show of force as well.

Some 120,000 police have been deployed to try to keep the exodus and celebrations safe and peaceful, with the force spread out mainly over densely populated Java island.

Jakarta, a bustling city of 12 million, looked almost deserted on Monday. The main thoroughfares were empty.

JAKARTA PRIME TARGET

Jakarta itself is considered a prime target for militant attacks because they are expected to come against Western interests, many of which are centered in the capital.

After suicide bombings against British interests in Turkey last week, British ambassador to Indonesia Richard Gozney told Reuters the embassy had reviewed security, "especially the security of the Consulate General, which is being further tightened."

But other diplomats saw little change in the security threat.

After the Bali and Jakarta bombings, many embassies and other buildings in Indonesia with Western links had already tightened security, with measures ranging from barbed wire, concrete barriers and armed guards to electronic and hands-on searches of cars and people.

For those traveling for Eid al-Fitr, however, no special checks were in evidence at train and bus stations or airports.

Transportation Minister Agum Gumelar estimated more than 18 million people would return to home towns for the celebrations. In Jakarta alone some two million people were expected to leave.

This year's Eid al-Fitr festival, based on a lunar calendar, falls on November 25 and 26, and the government has effectively made the days immediately before and after those dates holidays as well, giving the country a week off.

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