Seven hurt as gunmen attack Poso church
Seven hurt as gunmen attack Poso church
Ruslan Sangadji, The Jakarta Post, Palu, Central Sulawesi
Two unidentified gunmen stormed into a church in the troubled
region of Poso on Saturday night, firing a hail of bullets at a
congregation attending an Easter sermon and injuring seven,
including a four-year-old girl.
The attack happened just two weeks after two fatal shootings
in the regency, one which killed a clergyman.
Chief of the National Unity and People's Protection Body,
Amirullah Sia, said on Saturday night the latest shooting
happened at 7:15 p.m local time at the Tabernacle Church in Kilo,
Poso Pesisir, about 12 kilometers west of downtown Poso. The
seven injured in the attack were taken to Poso Hospital.
Contacted by The Jakarta Post Poso Regency Police chief Adj.
Sr. Comr. Abdi Dharma Sitepu confirmed the incident. He said one
of the seven injured was Sela Matoneng, 4, who was hit by a
bullet in her right leg.
Other victims were Hendrik Pau, 49; Dorkas Tulung, 45; Rizal
Matoneng, 24; the reverend who led the sermon, Dibet Matoneng,
47; Devi Gorigi, 29; and Sunce Engkolawa.
"After they heard the first gunshot they immediately fell to
the ground and lay face down (covered by the pews), which is why
there were no fatalities," Abdi said.
Abdi said the incident began when three people on a motorcycle
rode up to the church from the Poso direction. The three wore
Ninja-like costumes, he said.
Two of them got off the motorcycle, ran into the church and
started shooting, making their escape shortly afterwards into a
nearby forest area in Kilo.
About 200 Mobile Brigade police had been deployed in Kilo in
the search for the three, Abdi said.
He said police were still looking into the case and could not
confirm whether the incident was related to the two earlier
shootings two weeks ago.
Earlier, the police said they were holding five suspects,
including a man of Arab appearance, after the shootings two weeks
ago. There have been no further statements about the outcome of
that investigation.
Poso, a religiously divided town, was rocked by bloody
sectarian conflicts in 2000, where about 2,000 Muslims and
Christians were killed and thousands of others fled the area as
refugees. Fighting died down in 2002, following a government-
sponsored peace pact, but sporadic violence continues.