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JAKARTA: Christians in Indonesia celebrated Good Friday under heavy security with forces on high alert following a suicide bomb attack on a cathedral last week.
Heavily armed police and military were seen in the churches (pix) during Easter celebrations in the vast Muslim-majority nation, where Christians make up 10 percent of the population.
Indonesia has long struggled with attacks by Islamist militants and has been on the brink since two suicide bombers blew themselves up in a church in the city of Makassar on the island of Sulawesi, injuring 20 people.
“The enthusiasm of the parishioners today remains high despite the attack in Makassar,” spokesman for the Indonesian Communion of Churches, Philip Situmorang, told AFP.
“The police coordinated … to provide security in the churches.”
Authorities alleged that the Makassar attackers were members of a pro-Islamic State extremist group.
National Police spokesman Rusdi Hartono said yesterday that police across the country were ordered to anticipate possible terrorist attacks on churches during Easter celebrations.
There was another attack on Wednesday when a 25-year-old woman wearing a face veil entered a police compound in central Jakarta and opened fire on officers before she was shot dead.
Police described her as a “lone wolf” Islamic State sympathizer. – AFP
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