What police are describing as a failed suicide bombing attempt took place last night in front of a temporary police outpost in Sukoharjo, Central Java. Police say the bombing, which they believe to be an isolated incident, left only the bomber injured.
According to a report from CNN Indonesia, the explosive device went off at 10:30pm, roughly 10 minutes after a man dressed in black shirt and jeans approached the makeshift shelter. Witnesses say he could be seen sitting on the sidewalk in the minutes before the blast.
Police officers in Sukoharjo’s Kartasura district, who were busy monitoring traffic amid the Idul Fitri rush, or mudik (the annual Indonesian pilgrimage home for the holiday), escaped harm.
The alleged bomber, identified by his initials RA, was taken to a nearby hospital, while officers from the local and national anti-terror units were dispatched to investigate the crime scene.
Police say they believe the bombing to be a one-off as opposed to the start of a concerted terror campaign, though an investigation is still being carried out to determine his possible affiliation with terrorist networks.
“Whether or not he’s been exposed to a structured network, or an ISIS sleeper cell, that is something we’re investigating,” National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. Dedi Prasetyo told Liputan6.
Dedi, who said that the blast was caused by a relatively low-level explosive, went on to describe RA as an amateur.
“We can say this is amateur work. If we take a look at the composition of the explosive and the number, it’s still amateur. If he were to use a backpack, he could have killed the police officers on duty,” said National Police spokesman, Brig. Gen. Dedi Prasetyo, as reported by Liputan6.
Police found bomb-making materials when they went to search RA’s house in the early hours of this morning. According to a report from Suara.com, RA lived just half a kilometer away from the police shelter he’d attacked.
In an interview with Kompas TV, Wawan Purwanto, spokesman for the National Intelligence Agency (BIN), said that RA might be affiliated with suspected terrorists who had been arrested in several areas, including East Java and West Java.
“His network appears similar as before, they carry out the same pattern of bomb attacks. Their main targets are police officers,” Wawan said.
The explosion comes just as Indonesians are about to mark the end of Ramadan.
Earlier in March, the wife of suspected terrorist Abu Hamzah committed suicide by bomb along with her child in their house in Sibolga, North Sumatra. Police say Abu Hamzah is a member of Jamaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD), the banned ISIS-linked organization also accused of being behind last year horrific suicide bombings in Surabaya, which killed 28 people, including the attackers.
