Suspected suicide bomb attack outside a Catholic church in city of Makassar, Indonesia has left at least 20 people wounded on Sunday, police say.
Police said an explosion erupted as two attackers tried to enter the church at about 10:30 local time (03:30 GMT) at the end of a service for Palm Sunday, the first day of Easter, BBC reports.
The explosion occurred when the congregation were inside the church on island of Sulawesi, South Sulawesi police spokesman, E Zulpan stated.
National police spokesman Inspector General, Argo Yuwono during a press conference in Jakarta revealed that the worshippers suffered from wounds around their necks, chests and legs, while some had blisters on their hands and feet.
He added;
There were two people riding on a motorbike when the explosion happened at the main gate of the church – the perpetrators were trying to enter the compound.
A priest at the church, Father Wilhemus Tulak, told Metro TV that security guards had tackled one suspected bomber.
The attacker, he said, arrived by the motorbike and tried to get into the church.
One witness named only as Yosi told AFP news agency that;
There were several injured people on the street. I helped one woman who was wounded and covered in blood. Her grandchild was also injured. There were body parts everywhere.
Meanwhile, Coodinating Minister for Polical, Legal and Security Affairs, Mahfud MD confirmed the two suspected suicide bombers are dead with a destroyed motorbike and body parts scattered found at the scene.
Reacting to the unfortunate incident, Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo condemned the attack as “act of terror” and said he had ordered the chief of police to investigate those responsible.
He expressed;
I call on everyone to fight against terror and radicalism, which go against religious values.
Following the incident, Religious Affairs Minister, Yaqut Cholil Qoumas urged police to increase security measures at places of worship.
On his part, Pope Francis during a Palm Sunday mass at the Vatican offered a prayer for the victims of the attack.
Churches have been targeted in the past by extremists in Indonesia, the world’s biggest Muslim-majority nation. Militant but no group has yet said it was behind the bombing.
In 2018, dozens of people were killed in bomb attacks on churches and a police headquarters in the port city of Surabaya.
Police blamed an Islamic State-inspired network, the Jamaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD) group, for the attacks.
Indonesia’s worst ever terror attack was in Bali in 2002 , when 202 people – mostly foreigners – were killed in an attack on a tourist nightlife district.
That attack was carried out by Jemaah Islamiah (JI) militant network and prompted a sustained crackdown on militants.
