Explosion at Indonesian Police Headquarters, Day After Church Bombings

 

Police in Indonesia say a family of five carried out Monday’s suicide bombing attack on a police headquarters in Surabaya that left 10 people wounded.

Closed circuit television footage shows two motorcycles rolling up to a security checkpoint moments before the blast.

Authorities say an eight-year-old girl survived Monday’s attack. The injured included four policemen and six civilians. There has been no claim of responsibility.

The attack in the country’s second largest city comes a day after a family of six suicide bombers, including teens and children, targeted three churches, killing at least 13 people and wounding 41 others also in Surabaya.

All big cities in Indonesia are now on high alert.

Islamic State claimed responsibility for Sunday’s blasts, which Indonesia’s president called “barbaric.” The family had reportedly recently returned to Indonesia from Syria.

National police chief Tito Karnavian said the bombers included a mother and father, two daughters aged 9 and 12 and two teenage sons, adding that they were linked to the Islamic State-inspired group, Jemaah Ansharut Daulah.

 

 

“They have been cornered by the West, including U.S., in Syria, and they have to return to Indonesia,” Tito said of the group, calling on Indonesia’s parliament to pass a revised anti-terrorism law.

“We can’t take any actions without legal basis. The previous law is outdated,” he told a news conference, adding that police would call on the president to issue a decree to enable them to move quickly to fight the terrorist cell.

“This act is barbaric and beyond the limits of humanity, causing victims among members of society, the police and even innocent children,” President Joko Widodo said during a visit to the scene of the attacks. Widodo said he will issue a “perppu” — a regulation in lieu of law — by the end of June if parliament fails to approve a revision of the country’s terrorism law during its next session, which begins Friday.

The U.N. Secretary General condemned the attacks in a statement Sunday, noting that he was “appalled” that children were used in the bombing.

“The Secretary-General expresses his condolences to the families of the victims and wishes a swift recovery to those injured. He reiterates the support of the United Nations to the Government and people of Indonesia in their efforts to fight and prevent terrorism and violent extremism, including through the promotion of pluralism, moderation and tolerance,” Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General, wrote in a statement.

 

 

Indonesian Muslim and Christian organizations (Nadhlatul Ulama and Communion of Churches/PGI) condemned the attacks and issued a statement saying there is “no single religion in the world that justifies violence in achieving our goals.” The groups urged the government to take “decisive and swift steps” to tackle terrorism and radicalism.

Police have ordered the temporary closure of all churches in Surabaya. A large food festival in the city was also canceled.

Churches in Jakarta, Indonesia’s capital, canceled morning services. Jakarta is on high alert after the three bomb attacks in Surabaya. The National Police have tightened security across the capital, especially around vital objects and strategic locations.

There are no details yet why the police increased the alert status, or whether there is any terrorist threat to the capital.

The attacks in predominantly Muslim Indonesia came days after police ended a riot and hostage-taking at a detention center near Jakarta that left six officers and an inmate dead.

 

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Reported by VOA News       /  May 14, 2018

Link : https://www.voanews.com/a/indonesia-police-building-bombed/4392632.html