18 November 2016•Update: 18 November 2016
By Ainur Rohmah
INDONESIA
Indonesian police have named five suspects on suspicion of involvement in a terror attack on a church in Central Sulawesi province which led to widespread condemnation.
Four children were taken to hospital after the Nov. 12 petrol bombing, with one of them dying the next day after suffering burns to more than three quarters of her body.
National police spokesperson Commissioner Rikwanto told Anadolu Agency on Friday that the five are members of terror network Jamaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD), which has been linked to Daesh.
"All suspects have long been members of JAD," said Rikwanto, adding that they were also suspected of involvement in previous terror acts.
JAD is reportedly led by jailed Islamist cleric Aman Abdurrahman, who is currently serving a nine-year prison sentence in Indonesia for aiding a militant training camp.
Until now, a total of 21 people have been arrested for the attack on the parking lot of the Oikunene Church in Samarinda City, East Kalimantan.
After one of those hurt in the incident -- 2-1/2 year old Intan Olivia Marbun -- died, people from all walks of life took to social media to express their grief, the hash tag #RIPIntan becoming a trending topic on Twitter.
Rikwanto said Friday that police were still questioning 16 others, and will determine their involvement over the next seven days.
The Nov. 12 attack followed an August incident on a church in North Sumatra when a would-be suicide bomber failed to detonate during Mass in a church.
Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, has been cracking down on militant groups since the 2002 Bali bombings in which 202 people died.
The country is currently on alert for the at least 500 Indonesians who are reported to have joined Daesh in Syria, with dozens gradually returning home.
