Nine dead in Indonesia church bombings

The attacks were carried out within minutes of each other

Suicide bombers have attacked three churches in Indonesia’s second-largest city Surabaya, killing at least nine people, police say.

Around 40 others were injured in the attacks, which occurred within minutes of each other. No group has so far said it carried them out.

TV pictures showed debris scattered around the entrance of one church.

Indonesia, the most populous Muslim-majority country, has seen a resurgence of Islamist militancy in recent months.

The bombings took place around 07:30 local time (00:30 GMT). Officials said they foiled an attack against a fourth church.

The country’s intelligence agency said the attacks were most likely to have been carried out by an Islamic State-inspired group, Jemaah Ansharut Daulah.

Earlier this month, members of the Indonesian security forces were killed during a 36-hour standoff with militant Islamist prisoners at a high security prison on the outskirts of the capital Jakarta.

Over 90 per cent of Indonesians are Muslim, but there are also significant populations of Christians, Hindus and Buddhists.

What is the history of militancy in Indonesia?

Following the country’s worst-ever attack took place in 2002, when bombings on the popular resort island of Bali killed 202 people, authorities launched a crack-down on extremist groups.

But recent years have seen a number of attacks claimed by Islamic State (IS).

Four civilians and four attackers were killed in a series of explosions and shootings in central Jakarta in the first incident claimed by the group in January 2016.

In February this year, a number of people were injured in a sword attack at a church in Sleman, Yogyakarta. Police said that the attacker had previously tried to join IS in Syria.

BBC