Sunday Bloody Sunday<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): At least 15 people were killed and dozens others
\ninjured when bombs exploded almost simultaneously in or outside
\nchurches in various towns on Sunday night, as Indonesia's
\nminority Christian community was preparing to celebrate
\nChristmas.<\/p>\n
The casualties include;<\/p>\n
* Two churchgoers and a cigarette seller in Jakarta<\/p>\n
* In Sukabumi (West Java), a woman, a 10-year old boy and a
\ntwo-month old baby were killed when a bomb exploded in their car
\nafter they attended a Christmas service at a church;<\/p>\n
* In Pekanbaru (Riau), three church officers were killed as
\nwere two police officers who were called in to guard the church;<\/p>\n
* In Mojokerto (East Java), a member of the Banser Islamic
\ngroup was killed when he tried to take away a parcel containing a
\nbomb away from a church.<\/p>\n
* In Bandung (West Java), two workers of a welding shop were
\nkilled when a bomb exploded in their workshop. A third man, whose
\nidentity was not known, died in a hospital later on.<\/p>\n
Several police officers who were sent to inspect report that
\nlarge explosives had been found on the site were injured when the
\nexplosives blasted.<\/p>\n
There were three separate bomb blasts in the industrial island
\nof Batam, south of Singapore. There were no fatalities, but as
\nmany as 22 people were injured. Thirteen of whom had to be
\nhospitalized.<\/p>\n
Sunday's death toll would have been far higher had the police
\nnot intercepted parcels containing explosives which had been sent
\nto churches in Medan, North Sumatra.<\/p>\n
Church officials in Medan appeared to be far more alert than
\ntheir counterparts elsewhere in the country, having had their
\nshares of unexplained bombs in the past few months.<\/p>\n
They quickly alerted the police upon receipt or sighting of
\nsuspiciously looking parcels. Police came and successfully tamed
\nthe explosives.<\/p>\n
In the West Nusa Tenggara capital of Mataram bombs also
\nexploded at the GPPS Bethlehem church and Emmanuel Protestant
\nchurch. No fatalities were reported.<\/p>\n
Religious leaders and officials met soon after the blast, and
\nagreed that the explosions had nothing to do with interreligion
\nconflicts.<\/p>\n
Governor Harun Al Rasyid said that the bombings were
\npolitically motivated.<\/p>\n
No one has so far claimed responsibility for what appeared to
\nbe a concerted attack against Christians on Sunday as they
\ncelebrated Christmas.<\/p>\n
The Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamaah communication forum, the
\norganization which sent the Lasykar Jihad (the Muslim Warrior
\nForce) to fight Christians in Maluku, quickly distanced itself
\nfrom the Christmas Eve bombings.<\/p>\n
\"The Jihad Warrior strongly condemns the bombings,\" the group
\nsaid in a statement.<\/p>\n
\"The bombings were obviously backgrounded by political nuance.
\nLasykar Jihad in this regard has no involvement in national
\npolitical maneuvers,\" it said.<\/p>\n
Muslims and Christian leaders have condemned the bombing as an
\nact to set them against each other as have happened in Maluku in
\nthe last two years.<\/p>\n
Indonesia's Muslim majority will be celebrating Idul Fitri,
\nthe end of the Ramadhan fasting month, on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
In Jakarta, bombs exploded outside the Katedral and Canisius
\nchurch, both in Central Jakarta, and Santo Yosef church in
\nJatinegara district in East Jakarta.<\/p>\n
They all occurred within the space of one hour on Sunday night
\njust as the churches were holding Christmas services.<\/p>\n
Police later managed to defuse another bomb found outside the
\nAnglican church near the Canisius church.<\/p>\n
Services had to be canceled as police combed the area. But in
\nthe Katedral, Christmas services resumed after the blast and
\nafter the police gave the clearance.<\/p>\n
Two victims were identified as 50-year old Roni Hariadi and
\n27-year old Hendra Putra, both Jakarta residents who were in the
\nSanto Yosef church when the bomb, believed to have been placed
\ninside a van parked near a bus shelter outside the church,
\nexploded.<\/p>\n
The third victim was Abdul Karim, no known age, a resident of
\nBekasi who was running a cigarette kiosk near the bus shelter.<\/p>\n
Dozens others, churchgoers as well as passers-by, were being
\ntreated at the Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital and the
\nprivate St. Carolus hospital. Some were later discharged but 22
\nremained for further treatment on Sunday night.<\/p>\n
One of the injured was pop singer Melky Goeslaw, who was being
\ntreated at the Mitra Abadi hospital for burn on his hand, face
\nand leg, according to Antara.<\/p>\n
Melky was driving past the Canisius church with his wife Linda
\non his way to a different church when he was caught by an
\nexplosion.<\/p>\n
His daughter, Melly Goeslaw, who has taken up after her father
\nin singing her way to popularity, was waiting at the hospital.<\/p>\n
In the West Java town of Sukabumi, the three victims were
\nidentified as Banjar Nahor (30 years), Aprianto (10 years) and
\nBella (two months), according to Antara.<\/p>\n
They were all inside a car when a parcel, which Aprianto had
\nfound near their car after a service at Gereja Sidang Kristus
\nchurch and which he had placed it in the dashboard, exploded.<\/p>\n
Three other passengers in the car were injured.<\/p>\n
Shortly after, another bomb exploded in the Gereja Sidang
\nKristus church on Jl. Alun-Alun Utara.<\/p>\n
The blast also injured six people in the vicinity.<\/p>\n
In Pekanbaru, two police officers were killed in a bomb blast
\nthat occurred at the HKBP church.<\/p>\n
The four were killed when they were inspecting a parcel found
\ninside the church building after the congregation had left,
\nAntara reported.<\/p>\n
The victims were identified as First Sgt. Rudi Saragih, Second
\nPvt. Panangian, Second Pvt. Jabaruddin and Kamaludin, also Second
\nPrivate.<\/p>\n
Eight other people, including church officials, were injured.<\/p>\n
Pekanbaru City Police chief Sr. Insp. Armawan S. said that the
\nfour were killed after a \"package\" they were examining exploded.
\nThe package was left in the church as the service was over.<\/p>\n
Another explosion also took place in Sidomulyo, where
\nteenagers were gathering celebrating Christmas. One was killed in
\nthe blast and five others were injured. The deceased was
\nidentified as Simanungkalit, Antara reported.<\/p>\n
In Mojokerto, the death man was identified as Riyanto, a
\nmember of the local Banser, a youth wing of the Nahdlatul Ulama
\norganization, who was among Banser volunteers to guard the Santo
\nYosef church on Jl. Pemuda.<\/p>\n
He was seriously injured when a bomb exploded near the church
\nSunday night.<\/p>\n
He was rushed to the hospital but died a few hours later. His
\ndeath was confirmed by East Java Police Chief Insp. Gen. Sutanto.<\/p>\n
Members of Banser and the Indonesian Democratic Party of
\nStruggle (PDI Perjuangan) Task Force voluntarily guarded all
\nchurches in Mojokerto during the Christmas Eve.<\/p>\n
The explosion in Bandung could provide a clue about the
\norganization and the motive, something that had baffled the
\npolice.<\/p>\n
The welder shop was believed to have been used to store and
\nassemble bombs. Police also said they found leaflets about the
\nterror campaign.<\/p>\n
Two other workers of the shop who were injured in the blast
\ncould give the police the lead they needed to solve the mystery.
\nThe owner of the shop, Aceng Suhari, was still at large.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately for the police, some of the ammunitions exploded
\nwhile some officers were going inspecting the site. Two officers
\n-- First Sgt. Zainuddin and Second Pvt. Yoyong -- were injured.<\/p>\n
Two of six civilians injured in the blast, Agus (22) and Roni
\n(20), who are now treated at the Sartika Asih Police Hospital on
\nJl. Martadinata, are named suspects for the bombings. Police said
\nthey believed the two \"knew much\" about the bloody blasts. (team)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/sunday-bloody-sunday-1447893297",
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