Bomb attacks at 3 Indonesia churches 13 dead, nearly 40 wounded
AT least 13 people were killed and more than 40 wounded in separate suicide attacks by one family on three churches in Indonesia’s second-largest city.
Police said the bombings were carried out by six family members, including two young children, yesterday in Surabaya, about 800km west of Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta. The blasts occurred minutes apart as worshippers headed into the churches for services.
“The father and one of the sons did the attack on the first church, the mother with two young children under the age of 10 committed the second attack. Two younger boys around the age of 16 committed the third attack,” Al Jazeera’s Step Vaessen, reporting from Surabaya, cited the city’s police chief as saying.
“Several more bombs were found in two different churches that didn’t explode.”
At least seven people plus the six bombers died in the attacks in Surabaya, according to police.
The bombings were the worst to target churches in Indonesia since a series of attacks on Christmas Eve in 2000 killed 15 people and wounded nearly 100.
“This act is barbaric and beyond the limits of humanity, causing victims among members of society, the police and even innocent children,” President Joko Widodo said during a visit to the scene.
A spokesperson for the country’s intelligence agency said yesterday’s bombings were suspected to have been carried out by an ISIL-inspired group, Jemaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD).
Abu Bakar Bashir, JAD’s leader, pledged allegiance to Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in 2014.
The group has committed smaller attacks over the last few years, but yesterday’s was the largest and most coordinated in Indonesia in the last decade.
The attacks took place during Sunday morning church services. The wife of one of the victims said the attack took place shortly before the Sunday service was about to start.
“They were about to celebrate mass. My husband was opening doors and welcoming people,” she said.
No church services will be allowed because the authorities suspect more attacks could happen.— Al Jazeera.