Suicide bomber attacks Indonesian church

A suicide bomber on Sunday attacked a church in Indonesia, killing four people including himself according to witnesses. Indonesia is the country with the largest Muslim population and has seen a number of sectarian attacks on Christians and other religious minorities.

Reuters

The attack hit the Church Bethel Injil in Solo, the home town of Abu Bakar Bashir who has been jailed for 12 years for funding a group that was planning attacks on Westerners and political leaders.

Police, who said 15 people had been rushed to hospital, could only confirm that the bomber had died and said they were still investigating whether there were other deaths.

One witness told local radio station ElShinta that four people were killed in the blast, which took place after Sunday mass as people were leaving the church.

Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Djoko Suyanto said that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono strongly condemned "the act of terrorism"
"Nothing can justify this inhuman act," he told ElShinta. "It is the task of everybody to overcome this act of terrorism."

Al-Qaeda-linked regional terror network Jemaah Islamiyah has staged a number of attacks in Indonesia in recent years, including the 2002 Bali bombings which killed 202 people.