Suicide Bomb Attacks on Three Churches in Indonesia, At Least 5 Dead

A member of the police bomb squad unit examines the site of an explosion outside the Immaculate Santa Maria Catholic Church, in Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia May 13, 2018, in this photo taken by Antara Foto. Antara Foto/M Risyal Hidayat / via Reuters

JAKARTA–Suicide bombers attacked three churches across Indonesia’s second-largest city of Surabaya on Sunday morning, killing at least five people and wounding almost a dozen others, police said.

Witnesses reported the first explosion occurred around 7 a.m., just before the Sunday morning church service, according to The Jakarta Post.

Two were reportedly killed at the Santa Maria Church in the Ngagel Madya area of Surabaya, one was killed at the Surabaya Centre Pentacostal Church, and two more were killed at the GKI Diponegoro Church, reported The Strait Times.

“The victims are still being identified,” said Frans Barung Mangera, East Java police spokesman.

Indonesia is the world’s largest Muslim-majority country and has seen a recent resurgence in homegrown radical Islamic groups that preach violent jihad against the West and Christian organisations. The majority Sunni Muslim population of Surabaya in East Java, adhere to an interpretation of Islam that subscribes to religious tolerance.

Police told media the attacks were carried out by “suicide bombers” and that at least five people were killed and more wounded in the blasts.

Television images showed debris scattered around the entrance of one church and police cordoning off areas as crowds gathered.

Authorities were also investigating whether there was an explosion at a fourth church.

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