Christmas Eve 2000 Indonesia bombings
| Christmas Eve 2000 Indonesia bombings | |
|---|---|
| Location | Medan, Bandung, Batam, Ciamis, Mataram, and Pekanbaru |
| Date | 24 December 2000 |
| Target | Churches |
| Deaths | 18 |
Non-fatal injuries | Dozens |
| Perpetrators |
Al Qaeda Jemaah Islamiyah |
| Motive | Islamic extremism, Anti-Christianity |
On Christmas Eve, 2000, a series of explosions took place in Indonesia, which were part of a high-scale terrorist attack by Al Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiyah.[1] The attack involved a series of coordinated bombings of churches in Jakarta and eight other cities which killed 18 people and injured many others.
Bombing locations
A breakdown of the bombings is as follows:[2]
- Jakarta: Five Catholic and Protestant churches, including the Roman Catholic Cathedral, were targeted, killing at least three people.
- Pekanbaru: Four police officers killed trying to disarm a bomb; a civilian also died
- Medan: Explosions hit churches
- Bandung: Explode at production, bomb maker died
- Batam Island: Three bombs injure 22
- Mojokerto: Three churches bombed; one dead. One of them is the Eben Haezer church in Jalan Raden Ajeng Kartini. At around 8:30pm[3] on December 24, 2000, while trying to throw the bomb away, Riyanto was killed;[4]
- Mataram: Three churches bombed
- Sukabumi: Bombings kill three
Arrests
Two suspects were arrested following the bombings. Indonesian police say they found documents implicating Hambali in the bombings.[5] Abu Bakar Bashir was tried for involvement in the bombings in 2003 but was found not guilty; he was subsequently convicted of involvement in the 2002 Bali bombing.
In popular culture
The Indonesian progressive metal band Kekal has cited the bombings as an inspiration for its anti-terrorism song "Mean Attraction," which appeared on its third full-length album, The Painful Experience.[6]
See also
References
- ↑ Turnbull, Wayne (3 July 2003). "A Tangled Web of Southeast Asian Islamic Terrorism: Jemaah Islamiyah Terrorist Network". Retrieved 5 October 2006.
- ↑ "Arrests follow church bombings". BBC News. 26 December 2000. Retrieved 30 April 2010.
- ↑ http://lists.topica.com/lists/[email protected]/read/message.html?sort=d&mid=702557008
- ↑ http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2010/12/23/riyanto-a-martyr-with-a-life-lesson-pluralism.html
- ↑ "Statement by the Treasury Department Regarding Today's Designation of Two Leaders of Jemaah Islamiyah". United States Department of the Treasury. 24 January 2003. Retrieved 23 October 2006.
- ↑ mpomusic; Lord Rogoth, Negatyfus, Shamgar, Stefan, Natan, Daffie K. (25–30 January 2002). "An interview with... Kekal". Art for the Ears. Retrieved 5 January 2011.
External links
- Jemaah Islamiyah Shown to Have Significant Ties to al Qaeda
- Christmas Eve bombings target Christians