Man with sword hurts four in church

SLEMAN, Indonesia — Police in Indonesia shot a sword-wielding man who attacked a church congregation during Sunday Mass, injuring four people, including a German priest.

The reason for the attack Sunday morning in Sleman district in Yogyakarta province was not immediately clear. The 22-year-old attacker decapitated statues of Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary during the incident, photos showed.

Churches are a common target for Islamic militants in Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim nation.

Police detective Fendi Timur said counterterrorism police would be involved in the investigation.

Witnesses and police said the injured included a police officer who tried to subdue the attacker and the 81-year-old priest Karl Edmund Prier, a longtime resident of Indonesia.

They suffered back, neck and head wounds and are in stable condition. The suspect, identified only as Suliyono, was hospitalized.