JAKARTA — Two suicide bombers
believed to be members of an Islamist militant group attacked a Catholic church
in the Indonesian city of Makassar on Sunday on the first day of the Easter
Holy Week, wounding 19 people, police said.
اضافة اعلان
The mass was finishing when the attackers detonated
at least one device outside the church. The two suspects were the only
fatalities.
Police Chief Listyo Sigit Prabowo said the bombers
were both believed to belong to the Daeshv-inspired Jamaah Ansharut Daulah
(JAD), which is suspected of suicide attacks on churches and a police post that
killed at least 30 in the city of Surabaya in 2018.
Around 20 suspected JAD members were arrested in
January. The group is also believed to have been involved in a bomb attack on a
Philippine church in 2019 that killed more than 20 people.
"They are part of that group. ... They carried
out the attack with a pressure cooker bomb," Listyo said.
In an online broadcast, President Joko Widodo
condemned "this act of terrorism", urged people to remain calm, and
said the government would make sure they could worship "without
fear".
Police said the suspects had tried to enter the
church's grounds on a motorbike. Security camera footage showed a blast that
blew flame, smoke, and debris into the middle of the road.
A security source who was not authorized to speak to
media said they were a male college student and his female partner.
Makassar, the biggest city on the island of Sulawesi,
reflects the religious makeup of Indonesia, which is the world’s largest
Muslim-majority country but has a substantial Christian minority, among other
religions.
"Whatever the motive is, this act isn't
justified by any religion because it harms not just one person but others,
too," Religious Affairs Minister Yaqut Cholil Qoumas said in a statement.
Pope Francis prayed for the victims of the attack,
according to Vatican Media.
Gomar Gultom, head of the Indonesian Council of
Churches, described the attack as a "cruel incident" as Christians
were celebrating Palm Sunday, and urged people to remain calm and trust the
authorities.
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