Newlywed couple suspected as Indonesia church attackers

Police in Indonesia say a recently married couple were behind a bombing attack on a church during which Palm Sunday services were underway.

The Associated Press reported that police officials said the couple detonated explosive devices manufactured inside pressure cookers after being confronted by guards outside of the church on Sunday, wounding several people and killing themselves.

The unidentified couple were suspected to have links to Islamist militants in the region identified as Jemaah Anshorut Daulah, according to police. They were reportedly married just six months ago. Police told the AP that their identities, which were not made public, were confirmed from DNA evidence.

One of the attackers was reportedly suspected to have had links to a previous attack carried out by Jemaah Anshorut Daulah that also targeted a local Christian church in 2019 that killed nearly two dozen people.

Jemaah Anshorut Daulah is one of several Islamist militant groups active in Indonesia and is allied with ISIS, according to the United Nations Security Council.

In a statement Sunday, the State Department condemned the attack, which it called an “affront to the tolerance and diversity that the Indonesian people uphold.”