One of Rick Warren’s sister churches is under attack—and it’s not just spiritual warfare, either. It’s a bona fide suicide bombing.
The Saddleback Church pastor posted a notice on his Facebook page on Sunday that read, “Purpose Driven Network Alert: Our sister church in Solo City, Indonesia, Bethel Full Gospel Church, has just been bombed.”
A Muslim suicide bomber, whose identity has not been revealed, was responsible for the attack. Some news reports indicate 27 people were injured in the blast—one critically. Others put the number as high as 30 people.
“I was about to head home when a very loud explosion shocked me. A crowd of people from inside the church rushed to the streets,” Kristano, a member of the church, told the AFP. “They were screaming and very hysterical. The peaceful Sunday has quickly become a chaotic situation. I helped several people who were injured and lying weak on the ground.”
According to Fox News, Indonesia President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said the bomber was part of a network based in Cirebon, 185 miles east of Jakarta, where in April a suicide bomber attacked a police mosque, killing only himself and wounding 30 with a bomb of nails, nuts and bolts.
“This suicide bomber was a member of the terrorist network in Cirebon we mentioned a few months ago. I have called for a thorough investigation to find out more on this group, including who funds and leads them,” Yudhoyono said in a televised statement. “On behalf of the country and my government, I strongly condemn terrorist acts as an extraordinary evil.”
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