Bombs explode near Medan church<\/p>\n
MEDAN, North Sumatra (JP): Two bombs exploded near a small
\nProtestant church here on Sunday morning, but no injuries and
\nonly minor damages resulted from the blast, official and
\nwitnesses said.<\/p>\n
The first blast came from a bomb planted in front of the gate
\nof the Kemenangan Iman Indonesia (Indonesia's Victory of Faith)
\nChurch on Jl. Bunga Kenanga in the outskirts of Padang Bulan
\naround 8 a.m. local time.<\/p>\n
\"The eruption took place before Sunday mass. It damaged the
\ngate and a tree nearby was burned,\" a witness said, adding that
\nit caused panicked churchgoers to rush out of the building
\nimmediately.<\/p>\n
The second explosive, wrapped in plastic, was found nearby by
\nresidents and church workers who combed the area shortly after
\nthe first blast. The latest bomb exploded when it was thrown into
\na swamp by one of the church workers.<\/p>\n
Police confirmed that the two explosives were bombs, but
\ndeclined to link Sunday's incident to a series of bomb blasts
\nthat hit the capital of North Sumatra in May. At least 50 people
\nwere injured in the previous attacks.<\/p>\n
\"They were definitely bombs but we have not yet identified the
\ntype. We found nails in the wreckage of the second device,\" said
\nMedan Baru Police detective chief Second Insp. M. Jawak.<\/p>\n
North Sumatra Police spokesman Supt. Amrin Karim said the two
\nhand-made bombs were low explosive ones. \"They could not destroy
\nbuildings,\" Amrin said.<\/p>\n
\"So far there is no sufficient proof that the Sunday
\nexplosions are in the same chain with the May blasts,\" he added.<\/p>\n
The town was tense following the blasts, although shops
\nremained open and public transportation continued operating.
\nPeople cut back on outdoor activities and the streets were quiet.<\/p>\n
Amrin called on people to stay calm and avoid becoming
\nprovoked into aggressive action by the incident.<\/p>\n
\"Let's fight the terror and prove that North Sumatran people
\nare not easily provoked,\" he said.<\/p>\n
On May 28, a bomb exploded during a service at the Indonesian
\nProtestant Church in downtown Medan, injuring 47 members of the
\ncongregation. Two other bombs were planted at two different
\nchurches here, but they did not explode. A day after, an
\nexplosion destroyed the upmarket Marimar Restaurant on Jl.
\nPemuda, injuring three pedestrians.<\/p>\n
Many fear that provocative incidents such as the bombing in
\nMedan will lead to greater communal-religious unrest similar to
\nthat in Maluku and North Maluku. (39\/edt)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/bombs-explode-near-medan-church-1447893297",
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