Would-be bomber’s explosives fail in Indonesia church

The attack injured the priest, the bomber and two persons who tried to stop the attacker.

The attacker’s house will be searched for bomb-making materials, police said.

It is the latest in a string of attacks on religious minorities in the predominantly Muslim country. The youth also attempted to detonate an explosive device in his backpack, but it only burned without exploding, Amar added.

Local chief detective Nur Fallah said: “Somebody tried to kill the priest by pretending to attend the church service and at that time tried to explode something, like a firecracker, but the firecracker didn’t explode, it only fumed”.

According to a Reuters report, the priest at the church also suffered minor injuries.

A picture of the attacker’s alleged ID has emerged online, and it said he is Muslim. But there has been a resurgence in fundamentalism during recent years, inspired in part by Islamist militant groups like al Qaeda and Islamic State.

Indonesia, the largest Muslim country in the world, is home to a large number of Daesh fighters; the terrorist group has been condemned by Russian Federation and other countries around the globe.

A suicide bomber attacked the Solo police headquarters in early July before Idul Fitri celebrations, killing himself, but no one else.

The man kept running toward the priest who was giving a sermon with a burning backpack, as the shocked congregation chased and captured him before calling police.

“He sat in the same row as I did”.

Witness Bener Ginting said the suspect was wearing a backpack which was on fire as he ran through the church.

It remains unclear if the suspect is affiliated with a terror cell and police are investigating potential links.