Indonesia cathedral rocked by Palm Sunday suicide bombing

At least 14 people were injured after a powerful blast – a suspected suicide attack – outside a church in Indonesia’s Makassar, a port city of about 1.5 million.

“There were two people riding on a motorbike when the explosion happened at the main gate of the church. The perpetrators were trying to enter the compound,” National Police spokesman Argo Yuwono said on Sunday.

“The bike was destroyed and there are body parts… we’re still collecting parts and trying to identify the gender of the perpetrators.”

Police said a church security guard tried to prevent the motorcycle from entering the compound when the blast occurred.

Earlier, local police said at least one attacker died at the scene. They have not confirmed if both attackers were killed.

The explosion happened just after congregants finished celebrating Palm Sunday, the first day of Holy Week, which commemorates Jesus’s entry into Jerusalem.

“We were finishing the service and people were going home when it happened,” Pastor Wilhelmus Tulak told reporters.