Indonesia
Armed police officers stand guard along a closed road following an explosion outside a Catholic church in Makassar, South Sulawesi province, Indonesia, March 28, 2021. Image Credit: Reuters

Jakarta: Indonesian national police said two people were suspected of carrying out a bomb attack in the city of Makassar, after local police said the bomber had acted alone.

Fourteen people were hurt in the blast, Argo Yuwono, a police spokesman said. The counter-terrorism unit is investigating which network the attackers belonged to

News footage showed cars near the building were damaged as police cordoned off the area.

The explosion at the city's main Catholic cathedral happened just after Sunday services wrapped up, a man identified as the church's pastor told Metro TV.

"We were finishing the service and people were going home when it happened," the man, identified by his first name Willem, was quoted as saying.

The pastor said a congregant tried to prevent what he described as a "suicide bomber" from entering the church, adding that about 10 people were injured.

Churches have been targeted in the past by extremists in Indonesia.

In 2018, a dozen people were killed when a family of suicide bombers blew themselves up at churches during Sunday services in Indonesia's second-biggest city Surabaya.