Jakarta (AsiaNews) - A suicide bomber blew himself up today at Taka mosque located in the police headquarters in Ciberon (West Java) a town about 300 km from Jakarta. The toll is about 28 wounded, including several policemen. The suicide bombing is the first in the country's history and took place shortly before the usual Friday prayers, while the faithful were gathering inside the building. According to authorities the attack was organized by a group of Islamic terrorists in revenge for the recent anti-terrorism operations carried out by the police.
General Suparna Parto, Chief Inspector of West Java, said the suicide bomber's explosive belt contained nails and other metallic material, and several fragments were found in the bodies of the wounded. According to the general, this system is typical of Islamic extremists in Indonesia.
According to Wawan Purwanto, an expert on intelligence, the attack marks a change of course in Indonesian Islamic terrorism and has shocked the population. "The explosion - he says - has taken place just inside a mosque during prayer." The expert stressed that so far no extremist group had ever attacked a mosque during Friday prayers. Purwanto said that the turnaround has already begun and now the terrorists are targeting other Muslims. "In the past - he says - the targets were symbols of Western power. Now all those who are against them, such as police, may be annihilated. "
In these hours law-enforcement officials are considering increasing the alert status in the most sensitive areas of the country, to prevent new attacks.
