Mosque Blast in Indonesia Injures Dozens
Sidoarjo, East Java, Indonesia – A blast at an Islamic boarding school mosque injured dozens of people on Friday, September 29, 2023, prompting a rescue operation and raising concerns about a resurgence of militant activity in the region. Authorities are investigating the cause of the explosion, which occurred during afternoon prayers.
The incident occurred at the Sidoarjo boarding school, resulting in injuries ranging from head wounds to injuries to the feet and hands caused by debris. Relatives of the students have gathered at nearby hospitals – Yarsi and Cempaka Putih – seeking data about their loved ones. While the number of injured is still being confirmed, initial reports indicate dozens have been affected.
Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country, has a history of militant attacks. The 2002 Bali bombings,which killed 202 people,remain the deadliest such incident in the country.Subsequent attacks have been smaller in scale, targeting government, police, and those deemed “infidels” by extremist groups.
In 2011, a suicide bomber attacked a mosque at a police compound in Cirebon during Friday prayers, injuring 30 people. More recently, in December 2022, a former bomb-maker detonated himself at a police station in West Java, killing one officer and wounding eleven.
Prior to this incident,Indonesian authorities had reported a period of relative calm as 2023,attributing it to government efforts to maintain security. This latest attack raises questions about the durability of that stability and the potential for renewed militant activity. Investigations are ongoing to determine the perpetrators and motives behind the blast.
