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JAKARTA (RambuEnergy) – The police and security officers in Surabaya, East Java has been on high alert and busy after strings of bomb rocked 3 churches, police headquarter and a room flat in 25 hours since Sunday morning, killing at least 17 people, including the terrorists.
The police later in the afternoon revealed the perpetrator of the bomb attacks, namely a family with four children, who are linked with a radical group. Police Chief Tito Karnavian said the mastermind of the bomber was Dita Apriyanto, the head of Jamaah Ansarut Daulah (JAD), Surabaya. He also involved his wife as well as his children, two teenagers and two young girls.
The first bomb exploded at 07.13 West Indonesian Time at the gate of St Maria Catholic Church at Ngagel Madya Street. Minutes later another bomb hit a Pentecost church in Arjuno Street and then the Indonesian Christian Church (GKI) at Diponegoro Street. The explosions occurred almost at the same time.
The Police Chief said Dito and his wife as well as two young kids approached the target with a car. He then dropped his wife and his two young girls at the Pentecost Church, while bringing back-pack filled with bombs. He then drove to GKI and killed himself and the Church goers with the suicide bomb. Meanwhile, Dito’s two teenager went to St Mary Catholic with a motorbike. The bomb then exploded at the gate, while a security volunteer tried to prevent the two from entering the Church compound.
The bomb attacks killed a number of people on location, and others died at hospital, while around 40 people suffered serious injuries, according to the East Java Police spokesperson, Commissioner Frans Barung.
President Joko Widodo later in the afternoon flown to Surabaya to check the bomb locations and see the devastated area hit by the bomb by his owned eyes, accompanied by the Police Chief, who has arrived earlier, as well as Coordinating Minister for Politics, Law and Security retired general Wiranto and head of National State Intelligence Agency (BIN) Budi Gunawan.
As the police tried to chase the terror attackers, another home-made bomb exploded at 21.20 WIT, at a flat, which was later found by the police as resident of a terrorist family. The bomb exploded before it was brought out to hit the target, killing terrorist and injured his children. The police immediately checking the flat room and found few active bombs. The police then contained the active bombs by exploded them.
The latest bomb exploded at 08.50 WIT, at the gate of the East Java Police Headquarter. A CCTV picture showed the terrorists approached the gate with a motorbike, with a woman and a kid. As the police checking their backed, the bombs suddenly exploded, injuring two police and few other visitors. They were immediately taken to nearby hospital.
The police are investigating the bomb explosions, treating the wounded ones and chased the perpetrators or masterminds of the bomb attacks.
The citizens social media timelines, such as Facebooks, Twitter and others, were flooded with anger and expressing their condolences to the victims and calling on the government to act firm against the terrorists. Religious leaders also issued statement, condemning the suicide bombs that have killed innocent people. (*)