The attacker, whose identity remains unknown, was killed. Three days ago, a bomb attack on Makassar Cathedral was blamed on Jamaah Ansharut Daulah, a jihadi group linked to the Islamic State group, also deemed responsible for several recent terror attacks.
Jakarta (AsiaNews) – A terrorist, apparently a woman, entered the police headquarters compound in South Jakarta around noon (local time) today. Wielding a gun, she was shot to death. However, the way she held a gun suggests that it might have been a man.
The incident comes a few days after two suicide bombers targeted the Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral in Makassar (Southern Sulawesi) on Palm Sunday (28 March). Some 20 people were injured in the incident.
The attackers, husband and wife, died in the blast. According to police, the couple belonged to Jamaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD), the main jihadi entity in Indonesia affiliated with the Islamic State group
JAD was allegedly behind a bomb attack on Catholic worshippers in the Philippines. Indonesian authorities blame the jihadi group for the attack on the Cathedral of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Jolo (Sulu) on 27 January 2019.
Indonesia is the world’s most populous Islamic nation. It is often the target of jihadi attacks, especially at this time of the year, on the eve of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting and prayer.
JAD has thousands of supporters and is deemed responsible for the main attacks of the last five years, including the one against three churches in Surabaya.
However, Indonesia’s bloodiest terrorist incident dates back to 2002, when two bombs killed 202 people. The attack was carried out by members of Jemaah Islamiah, an extremist group linked to al-Qaeda.
Following the attack in Makassar, the Jakarta-based Centre for Radicalism and Deradicalisation Studies noted a rise in calls on social media from Indonesian and Malaysian militants for more attacks in Indonesia.
Indonesian Police Chief General Listyo Sigid Prabowo did not clarify if the latest incident is linked to Islamist terrorism.