WEB DESK
At least 10 people were killed and many wounded in explosions at three churches in the Indonesian city of Surabaya. Officials suspect a group inspired by the “Islamic State” carried out the attacks.
Police said three churches were hit by suicide bombers in Indonesia’s second-biggest city, located in the eastern part of the island of Java. Authorities believe the attack was perpetrated by suicide bombers and warned that the death toll is likely to rise.
Indonesian bomb squad members examine the site following a suicide bombing outside a church in Surabaya.
Initial reports said suicide bombers were responsible for the explosions, but police have not confirmed that.
Indonesian Muslim and Christian organizations (Nadhlatul Ulama and Communion of Churches/PGI) condemned the attacks and issued a statement saying there is “no single religion in the world that justifies violence in achieving our goals.” The groups urged the government to take “decisive and swift steps” to tackle terrorism and radicalism.
Police have ordered the temporary closure of all churches in Surabaya. A large food festival in the city has also been canceled, Reuters says.
Churches in Jakarta, Indonesia’s capital, canceled morning services. Jakarta is on high alert after the three bomb attacks in Surabaya. The National Police have tightened security across the capital, especially around vital objects and strategic locations.
There are no details yet as to why the police increased the alert status, or whether there is any terrorist threat to the capital.
The three blasts took place within 10 minutes of eachother
What we know so far
The first bomb detonated at the Catholic Church of Santa Maria at about 7:30 a.m., followed by a blast at the Diponegoro Christian Church and then one at the Surabaya Center Pentecostal Church.
The detonations ocurred within 10 minutes of each other.
Indonesian television showed debris scattered around the entrance of one of the churches and police closing off certain areas as crowds began to gather.
Authorities are also investigating whether there was another explosion at a fourth church.
A militant group linked to the “Islamic State” (IS) is believed to be behind the attacks, the state intelligence agency said. The Jemaat Ansharud Daulah (JAD) planned to carry out attacks on police but switched to target churches, an agency spokesman told Metro TV.
A guard at the church said one of the suspected bombers was a woman carrying two children.
In response to the spate of bomb attacks on three churches in Indonesia’s second largest city, Surabaya, East Java, on Sunday morning, the Indonesian Communion of Churches (PGI) has sent a message to its congregation to remind them to stay calm in the face of terror.
“We don’t need to be afraid when facing terror threats. We must leave it completely to the government to handle,” PGI secretary-general Rev. Gomar Gultom said in a release on Sunday.
Gomar said religious leaders must be more alert to the emergence of terrorist supporters and actors, who also often acted as preachers.