JAKARTA: A suspected Islamic militant riding a motorbike blew himself up in an Indonesian police station compound yesterday, injuring a construction worker but no police, officials said.
The suicide bomber — believed to be linked to the country’s most wanted terror suspect — launched the attack after forcing his way into police headquarters in Poso, a town on Sulawesi island known for militant attacks. It was the first suicide attack in Indonesia, which has been waging a campaign against Islamist terror groups for over a decade, since September 2011 when a bomber injured dozens in an attack on a Central Java church.
The blast comes after police arrested more than 20 suspects and killed eight in a series of raids last month, including some who were suspected of raising funds for Santoso’s group.
The explosion caused minor damage to some cars and broke windows, said Poso police chief Susnadi, who also goes by one name.
The bomb was homemade and consisted of nails packed into a plastic lunch box, he added. Indonesia has waged a crackdown on terror groups over the past decade following attacks against Western targets.
AFP
