The church attacks were likely linked to the prison hostage standoff, Purwanto said. Inspector general Machfud Arifin told CNN Indonesia the suicide attack at St Mary's was carried out using a motorbike. A spokesman for Indonesia's church association (PGI) called on the government for more help on security at churches. The most serious incident was in January 2016 when four suicide bombers and gunmen attacked a shopping area in central Jakarta. Churches have also been targeted previously, including near-simultaneous attacks on churches there at Christmas in 2000 that killed about 20 people.

Source: dna May 13, 2018 08:22 UTC