Insights

Pressure cooker bomb detonated in Bandung

A small bomb has exploded in a park in the Indonesian city of Bandung, with the attacker fleeing into government offices in the Cicendo area and engaging in a shootout with police. The attacker was captured and taken into custody after a standoff lasting about an hour. No one was reported wounded in the assault in the major city on Java island which police said was linked to a “terrorist network”. The explosion was caused by a pressure cooker bomb detonated by a male attacker. Local sources have indicated that a second female suspect was still at large, but this has not yet been confirmed.

Those operating or residing in Indonesia are advised to be aware of the current terrorist threat. Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country, has long struggled with Islamic militancy and was hit by series of attacks in the past 15 years. A sustained crackdown in the country has weakened the most dangerous networks, but the emergence of the Islamic State (IS) group has proved a serious new rallying cry for the country’s radicals. Report any suspicious packages, behaviour or activity to the authorities and remain vigilant.