Suicide attack rocks Indonesia church, several wounded (Video)

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At least 14 people wounded after attackers detonate explosives outside a packed church during Palm Sunday Mass.

Two suicide bombers detonated explosives outside a Catholic church in the Indonesian city of Makassar, wounding fourteen people on the first day of the Easter Holy Week, the country’s national police said.

The explosion took place on Sunday at a time the congregation was inside the church on the island of Sulawesi, police said, just as the mass was ending.

Fourteen people were hurt in the blast, national police spokesman Argo Yuwono said. The two suspects were the only fatalities.

Local police had previously said the bomber had acted alone.

Father Wilhelmus Tulak, a priest who was leading mass at the time of the explosion, told Indonesian media the church’s security guards suspected two motorists who wanted to enter the church. One of them detonated his explosives and died near the gate after being confronted by guards.

He said the explosion occurred at about 10:30am (03:30 GMT) and that none of the worshippers was killed.

Security camera footage showed a blast that blew flame, smoke and debris into the middle of the road.
Makassar Mayor Danny Pomanto said the blast could have caused far more casualties if it had taken place at the church’s main gate instead of a side entrance.

Police did not say who might be responsible for the apparent attack and there was no immediate claim of responsibility.

Police blamed the ISIL-inspired Jamaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD) group for suicide attacks in 2018 on churches and a police post in the city of Surabaya that killed more than 30 people.

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