Indonesia rocked by fifth bomb attack in two days; death toll reaches 16 as police suspect Islamic State involvement

Following bomb attacks on three churches in the Indonesian city of Surabaya, a fourth bomb blast near a police station in East Java killed three people late on Sunday. Another explosion has also been reported on Monday morning from the Indonesian police headquarters in Surabaya which has claimed the life of at least one police personnel. [caption id=“attachment_4468133” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Police officers stand guard near the site where an explosion went off at Santa Maria church in Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia. AP[/caption] Three people were found lying on the floor with parts of bodies covered in blood after a bomb blast occurred in a unit of flats where an alleged terrorist lived with his family members, Xinhua news agency reported. “I have come to the scene to see what happened. I saw the family members covered in blood lied on the floor,” an eyewitness was quoted as saying. National police spokesman Brigadier General Muhammad Iqbal confirmed that the unit of the flats was inhabited by an alleged terrorist with family members. “We are checking whether the bomb exploded incidentally or someone detonated it,” the spokesperson was quoted as saying. The building is located behind the Taman police station in Sidoarjo Regency which is bordered by Surabaya city where three churches were targetted earlier in the day. At least 11 people, including a suicide bomber, were killed and 41 injured on Sunday in bomb attacks on three churches in the Indonesian city of Surabaya. Two police officers were among the injured after a series of explosions took place in the morning during Sunday service, Efe quoted East Java police spokesperson Frans Barung Mangera as saying. The first explosion took place in Surabaya’s Santa Maria church, killing four people, including the suicide bomber. Almost immediately afterwards, there were explosions in a Protestant church on the Diponegoro street, where two people were killed, and another one at a Pentecostal church on Arjuno street, where another two people died. Another person died later in a hospital in Surabaya. The police are yet to release details of the other two victims. The bomb disposal squad diffused another bomb outside the Diponegoro church. According to the BBC News, the Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attacks. National police chief Tito Karnavian said they belonged to an Islamic State-inspired network, Jemaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD).   With inputs from PTI