ISLAMIC MILITANTS SUSPECTS IN BLAST.(MAIN)

Byline: INDIRA A.R. LAKSHMANAN and DEWI LOVEARD Boston Globe -

BALI, Indonesia -- Indonesian security officials on Sunday blamed the car bombing of a crowded nightclub on alleged Islamic militants based in Indonesia as the death toll climbed to 188, the single deadliest terror attack anywhere since Sept. 11, 2001.

One official suggested the attackers had targeted foreign tourists on the majority-Hindu resort isle of Bali to minimize Muslim casualties among locals.

With at least 188 people believed dead and some 300 wounded -- the vast majority of them young Australian, Canadian and European vacationers -- the death toll from the attack outside the Sari Club late Saturday night is the worst in Indonesian history. Two Americans were killed, while three were among the injured.

The U.S. ambassador to Indonesia, Ralph L. Boyce, said the attack ``highlights the mounting threat to Americans wherever they are …