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Asia Pacific Report Newsdesk
A bomb believed to have been detonated by two suicide bombers in Indonesia exploded outside a Catholic cathedral in Makassar, South Sulawesi, on Sunday morning, injuring at least 20 and killing the attackers.
According to the National Police, the attackers arrived at the cathedral by motorcycle, reports Gisela Swaragita in The Jakarta Post.
A church security guard was trying to prevent the vehicle from entering the church grounds when the bomb exploded.
“There were two people on a motorcycle when the explosion occurred at the main door of the church. The perpetrators were trying to enter the compound, ”said National Police spokesman, Brigadier General Argo Yuwono.
The blast occurred just after parishioners finished a service for Palm Sunday, which is the first day of Holy Week before Easter and commemorates Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem.
“I strongly condemn this act of terrorism and have directed the police chief to thoroughly investigate the perpetrators’ networks and tear them down to their roots,” President Joko Widodo said in an online broadcast following the attack, Al Jazeera reports.
Father Wilhelmus Tulak, a priest leading the mass at the time of the blast, told Indonesian media that church security guards suspected that two motorists wanted to enter the church.
Faced by guards
One of them detonated his explosives and died near the door after being confronted by guards.
He said the explosion occurred around 10:30 am (03:30 GMT) and that none of the worshipers died.
Security camera footage showed an explosion that spewed flames, smoke and debris into the middle of the road.
Makassar Mayor Danny Pomanto said the blast could have caused many more casualties had it taken place at the church’s main door rather than a side entrance.
Police previously blamed the JAD group for suicide attacks in 2018 against churches and a police post in the city of Surabaya that killed more than 30 people.
Boy Rafli Amar, director of the country’s National Counterterrorism Agency, described Sunday’s attack as an act of “terrorism.”
Religious makeup
Makassar, the largest city in Sulawesi, reflects the religious makeup of Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority country with a substantial Christian minority and followers of other religions.
“Whatever the reason, this act is not justified by any religion because it harms not only one person but also others,” Yaqut Cholil Qoumas, Indonesia’s minister of Religious Affairs, said in a statement.
Gomar Gultom, director of the Indonesian Council of Churches, described the attack as a “cruel incident” while Christians were celebrating Palm Sunday and urged people to remain calm and trust the authorities.
Indonesia’s deadliest attack took place on the resort island of Bali in 2002, when bombers killed 202 people, most of them foreign tourists.
In the following years, the Indonesian security forces achieved some significant successes in fighting armed groups, but more recently, there has been a resurgence of violence.
