Surabaya church bombings
On the morning of Sunday 13 May 2018, a family of six carried out suicide bombings at three churches in Surabaya, Indonesia's second-largest city. Police said the father drove a car bomb into the grounds of Surabaya Centre Pentecostal Church. The mother and two daughters, aged 9 and 12, blew themselves up at Diponegoro Indonesian Christian Church. The two sons, aged 16 and 18, rode motorcycles into Santa Maria Catholic Church. Officials said at least 13 people were killed and about 40 were wounded.
National police chief Tito Karnavian said the family belonged to Jemaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD), a network inspired by Islamic State, and Islamic State claimed the attacks through its Amaq news agency. Police named the father as Dita Oepriarto and said he led a local JAD cell. President Joko Widodo called the attacks "barbaric". Police first said the family had returned from Syria, but Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull later said publicly that the father "had not come back from Syria". Sources disagree on this point.
On 13 May 2018 Foreign Minister Julie Bishop's office issued a statement saying "The Australian Government condemns the cowardly terrorist attacks this morning at three Christian churches in the Indonesian city of Surabaya". It also said "We stand in solidarity with the Government of Indonesia against this barbaric attack on peaceful religious gatherings." Speaking to the Seven Network on 15 May (AEST), Bishop said the use of children "takes it to a whole new horrifying level". Turnbull described it as "sickeningly cruel" (AAP via SBS).
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