National police spokesman Dedi Prasetyo said the student was a "lone wolf" suicide bomber, although authorities were still investigating whether he had links to any militant groups. Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim-majority country, has suffered a resurgence in homegrown militancy in recent years, with police frequently the target of attacks. The attack comes a month after a suspected Islamist stabbed and wounded Wiranto, Indonesia's former security minister, after he had opened a university building. Foreseeing an increased threat of attacks from Indonesians who joined Islamic State and have begun returning from the Middle East, police have detained hundreds of suspects since the start of the year. Stanislaus Riyanta, a terrorism expert, said the attack in Medan could be in retaliation for the death of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who killed himself last month during a U.S. commando raid on his compound in Syria.

Source: bd News24 November 13, 2019 10:00 UTC