A suicide bomber blew himself up outside a Roman Catholic church in the city of Makassar in Indonesia during a Palm Sunday Mass ahead of Easter, wounding nine people, police said.
As per Associated Press, body parts were seen scattered near a burning motorbike at the gates of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral in Makassar, the capital of South Sulawesi province.
Father Wilhemus Tulak, the priest that led the Sunday Mass at the church, told Indonesian media that the bomb exploded at around 10.30 am local time when his congregation had just finished the service. He further said that the suspected bomber tried to enter the church grounds on a motorbike, but had been stopped by a security guard.
The bomber detonated the explosives on him and died near the gate. Four guards and five civilians were injured in the explosion.
No casualties among churchgoers have been reported.
Makassar Mayor Danny Pomanto said the blast could have caused far more casualties if it had taken place at the church's main gate instead of a side entrance.
Boy Rafli Amar, the head of the country’s National Counterterrorism Agency, described the attack as an act of terrorism.
“Whatever the motive is, this act isn’t justified by any religion because it harms not just one person but others, too,” Yaqut Cholil Qoumas, Indonesia’s religious affairs minister, said in a statement.
Police have not said who might be responsible for the attack. There have been no immediate claim of responsibility.
(With inputs from agencies)
