Palm Sunday mass in Indonesia hit by suicide bomber

Nearly two dozen people were wounded during a Palm Sunday service after two suicide bombers detonated an explosive device outside a church in Indonesia’s Sulawesi island.

The Associated Press reported the blast injured 20 people. Local officials said the suspected suicide bombers were the only casualties from the blast.

“I call on people to remain calm while worshipping because the state guarantees you can worship without fear,” Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo said in a televised address to the nation following the attack, according to the AP.

The country’s top security official reportedly added that any terrorist groups or other individuals linked to the bombing would “continue to be pursued,” according to the news service.

Indonesia has a history of battling Islamist extremist groups. In December, police arrested the head of Jemaah Islamiyah, an Al Qaeda-aligned terror group most famously known for a 2002 bombing that killed more than 200 people.

The country has been expecting attempted retaliation in the months since the arrest of Zulkarnaen, Jemaah Islamiyah’s leader, according to the AP, with the risk growing as the Christian holiday of Easter approaches.

Pope Francis, head of the Catholic Church, offered prayers for victims of violence on Sunday including “those of the attack that took place this morning in Indonesia, in front of the Cathedral of Makassar,” the AP reported.