After a series of attacks, including a triple attack on as many Christian churches in Surabaya, Indonesia, the death toll rises to 9, in addition to several dozen injured. This is the bloodiest attack in years in Indonesia, a nation with a Muslim majority. The nation of Southeast Asia, which will begin Ramadan this week, had already been alerted by intelligence local for any attacks by local militants from the Islamic State group. But no one has yet claimed responsibility for the attacks in Surabaya. "Nine people have died and 40 are in hospital," East Java police spokesman Frans Barung Mangera told reporters, adding that two policemen were injured. Official casualties rose and could also include those who died in hospital.
Three separate locations were hit around 7:30 am local time (1.30 am Italian time) in what appeared to be coordinated attacks, in which both kamikaze bombers and a car bomb were employed. The videos broadcast by the main Indonesian TV stations seemed to show a motorcyclist entering the gardens of a church before the bomb exploded. Other images instead showed a vehicle engulfed in flames. Police bomb squads were called to disarm the still active explosives at Gereja Pantekosta Pusat Surabaya, the Pentacostal Church in central Surabaya.