Page 10 - ARUBA TODAY

A10 WORLD NEWS
Monday 14 May 2018

Police: Members of a family bombed 3 Indonesian churches

By TUJI MARTUJI, angered the country.
Associated Press Jemaah Islamiyah, the net-
SURABAYA, Indonesia (AP) work responsible for the Bali
— Coordinated suicide attacks, was obliterated
bombings carried out by by a sustained crackdown
members of the same fam- on militants by Indonesia's
ily struck three churches in counterterrorism police with
Indonesia's second-largest U.S. and Australian support.
city Sunday, police said, A new threat has emerged
as the world's most popu- in recent years, inspired by
lous Muslim nation recoiled IS attacks abroad.
in horror at one of its worst Experts on militant networks
attacks since the 2002 Bali have warned for several
bombings. years that the estimated
At least seven people died 1,100 Indonesians who trav-
at the churches in Suraba- eled to Syria to join IS posed
ya along with the six fam- a threat if they returned
ily members, the youngest home.
of whom were girls aged Karnavian identified the fa-
9 and 12, according to ther as Dita Futrianto and
police. Another 41 people said he was head of the
were injured. Surabaya cell of Jemaah
Indonesia's president con- Anshorut Daulah, an Indo- Burnt motorcycles are seen at one of the sites of the church attacks in Surabaya, East Java, Indo-
demned the attacks as nesian militant network af- nesia, Sunday, May 13, 2018.
"barbaric." filiated with IS that has been Associated Press
National police chief Tito implicated in attacks in In-
Karnavian said that the donesia in the past year. them in front of the church- after that, the explosion Surabaya.
father detonated a car He identified the mother as yard, but the woman ig- happened." He confirmed TV reports
bomb, two sons aged 18 Puji Kuswati. nored them and forced her President Joko "Jokowi" that three people, includ-
and 16 used a motorcy- The attacks occurred within way inside. Suddenly, she Widodo visited the sites ing a child, were inside the
cle for their attack, and minutes of each other, ac- hugged a civilian, then (the and described the attacks fifth-floor flat at the time of
the mother and her two cording to Surabaya police bomb) exploded," said the as "cowardly actions" that the blast. A bomb squad
daughters wore explosives. spokesman Frans Barung witness, a security guard were "very barbaric and was checking the building,
Karnavian said the family Mangera. who identified himself as beyond the limit of human- he said, and hundreds of
had returned to Indonesia Karnavian said Futrianto Antonius. ity." people were evacuated
from Syria, where until re- drove a bomb-laden car At Santa Maria, a Catho- In Jakarta, Indonesia's cap- from the neighborhood.
cently the Islamic State into the city's Pentecostal lic church, shattered glass ital, the Indonesian Church Separately, national police
group controlled significant church. and chunks of concrete lit- Association added its con- spokesman Setyo Wasisto
territory. Kuswati, with her two tered the entrance, which demnation. said police fatally shot four
IS claimed responsibility for daughters, attacked the was sealed off by armed "We are angry," said Gor- suspected militants and ar-
the attacks in a statement Christian Church of Dipo- police. Rescuers treated mar Gultom, an official rested two others early Sun-
carried by its Aamaq news negoro, he said. Based victims in a nearby field with the association, but day in West Java towns. It
agency. It didn't mention on their remains, Karna- while officers inspected he urged people to let the wasn't clear whether the
anything about families or vian said the mother and wrecked and burned mo- police investigation take its shootings were connected
children taking part and daughters were all wear- torcycles in the parking lot. course. to the church attacks.
said there were only three ing explosives around their A street merchant out- Indonesia's two largest "They have trained in or-
attackers. waists. side the church said she Muslim organizations, Nah- der to attack police," Wa-
Indonesia's deadliest terror- The sons rode a motorcy- was thrown several meters dlatul Ulama and Muham- sisto said, identifying the
ist attack occurred in 2002, cle onto the grounds of the (yards) by the blast. madiyah, also condemned militants as members of Je-
when bombs exploded on Santa Maria Church and "I saw two men riding a mo- the attacks. maah Anshorut Daulah.
the tourist island of Bali, kill- detonated their explosives torbike force their way into Mangera, the Surabaya Jakarta police placed the
ing 202 people in one night, there. the churchyard. One was police spokesman, said capital and surrounding
mostly foreigners. But the A witness said the woman wearing black pants and police responded about 9 areas on high alert, while
fact that children were in- arrived at the Diponegoro one with a backpack," said p.m. to an explosion in a the transportation ministry
volved in Sunday's attacks church carrying two bags. the merchant, Samsia, who residential building in Sido- warned airports to be on
in Surabaya shocked and "At first officers blocked uses a single name. "Soon arjo, a district bordering guard.q