New raid in Indonesia hit by suicide attacks

PEKANBARU – Agence France-Presse

Four men who attacked an Indonesian police headquarters with samurai swords were shot dead yesterday and one officer also died, authorities said, days after a wave of deadly suicide bombings claimed by Islamic State OF Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) rocked the country.

The assault in the city of Pekanbaru on Sumatra island saw a group ram their minivan into a gate at the station and then attack officers with the swords, police said.

It was not clear if the incident was linked to other attacks this week, which saw two families - who all belonged to the same religious study group - stage suicide bombings at churches and a police station in Surabaya on Java island, Indonesia’s second biggest city.

The attacks have put Indonesia on edge - and sparked a string of travel advisories from foreign governments - as the world’s biggest Muslim-majority country starts the holy fasting month of Ramadan from today.

Police said they shot dead four of the police station attackers and later arrested another who had fled.

One officer was killed by the speeding vehicle and two others were wounded in the incident, they added. Local media said one attacker may have had a bomb strapped to his body but police have not confirmed the reports. No group has yet taken responsibility for the attack.

The bloody violence is putting pressure on lawmakers to pass a stalled security law that would give police more power to take pre-emptive action against terror suspects.

Indonesia - which is set to host the Asian Games in just three months and an IMF-World Bank meeting in Bali in October - has long struggled with radicalism.

Its worst-ever attack was the 2002 Bali bombings that killed more than 200 people - including locals and foreign tourists.
Security forces have arrested hundreds of militants during a sustained crackdown since the Bali bombing, and most attacks in recent years have been low-level and targeted domestic security forces.