Medan, suicide attack on police headquarters: six injured, the attacker dies (Video)
by Mathias Hariyadi

The victims are four agents, an employee and a civilian. The attack took place around 8.40 am in a car park near an area where the public waits for documents to be issued. The police are trying to establish the aggressor's identity to clarify if he was part of the terrorist network of Jamaah Ansharut Daulah (Jad) or was a lone wolf.


Jakarta (AsiaNews) - A suicide bomber blew himself up this morning outside the police headquarters in the city of Medan, in the province of North Sumatra, causing his own death and wounding six people. The National Police spokesman (Polri), Gen. Dedi Prasetyo reports that the attack took place around 8.40 am in a parking lot near an area where the public waits for documents to be issued.

Gen. Mohammad Iqbal adds that "the victims are four agents, an employee and a civilian". The six wounded were rushed to the North Sumatra police hospital for medical treatment, Iqbal said. Their conditions are not serious. The incident took place a few minutes after a dozen policemen presented themselves to report and to take service. Hundreds of people were already lining up to get the police certification to be able to sit civil service exams. The explosion also damaged three police vehicles and a private one.

Gen. Prasetyo states that the bomber managed to enter the police headquarters during a security check when he sneaked in "taking advantage" of a moment when a large crowd was entering the complex. "So - says the officer - before he could reach his goal, the bomb exploded in the parking lot". The police hope to establish the identity of the bomber by collecting his fingerprints, as well as analyzing the type of bomb used. "As soon as we know its generalities, we will determine whether it was part of the terrorist network of Jamaah Ansharut Daulah (Jad) [local group linked to the Islamic State] or was a lone wolf," concluded Prasetyo.