Indonesia cathedral rocked by Palm Sunday suicide bombing

From Arab News, Reuters and the BBC  Interesting that both the BBC and Reuters, whose reports I looked at first because I’m  old enough to remember when they were names to impress and respect, call the Christian building a ‘church’ while it is Arab News that leads with the headline ‘cathedral’ and ‘Palm Sunday bombing’. 

JAKARTA: An Indonesian cathedral was rocked by a suspected suicide bombing on Sunday with body parts littering the chaotic scene as Christians inside celebrated the start of Holy Week,  South Sulawesi police chief Merdisyam told local news TV One. “We’re now trying to confirm his identity,” he added, referring to the suspected attacker.

The powerful blast at the church in Makassar city on Sulawesi island happened around 10:30 am local time (0330 GMT) and left at least one person dead and nine church officials and congregants injured, according to authorities.  

A church security guard tried to prevent a man on a motorbike from entering the compound when the blast occurred, with images from the scene showing what appeared to be a body lying inside the parking lot. Makassar Mayor Mohammad Ramdhan said: “There are many body parts here at the church compound as well as in the street.”

News footage showed cars near the building were damaged as police cordoned off the area following the explosion.
The explosion at the city’s main Catholic cathedral happened just after congregants finished celebrating Palm Sunday, the first day of Holy Week, which commemorates Jesus’s entry into Jerusalem. It comes a week before Easter. And that’s a  pretty fair explanation if you didn’t know. 

“We were finishing the service and people were going home when it happened,” a man identified as the church’s pastor told local media. 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 motorbike and tried to get into the church.

Makassar Mayor Danny Pomanto said that if the explosion had happened at the main entrance, it could have led to far more casualties.

Update from Reuters

The one person killed in the church bombing in the Indonesian city of Makassar in South Sulawesi was suspected to be the attacker, the provincial police chief Merdisyam told reporters.

Churches have been targeted in the past by extremists in Indonesia, the world’s biggest Muslim-majority nation. Religious Affairs Minister Yaqut Cholil Qoumas condemned the attack and urged police to increase security measures at places of worship.