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JAKARTA, Indonesia – A suicide bomber blew himself up as police were praying Friday, wounding 28 people in the first attack on a mosque since extremists started targeting the predominantly Muslim country a decade ago. Though houses of worship are commonly targeted by militants in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq, the attack in the West Java town of Cirebon was a first for Indonesia. Even former Jemaah Islamiyah members were outraged. "To attack Muslims as their performing Friday prayers?!" said Abu Ghifari, who quit the group because he disagreed with some of its doctrines. "It's a great sin!"

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(AP) Indonesian police are undertaking a massive security operation at churches, malls and hotels amid warnings that Islamic terrorists are planning Christmas attacks in the world's most populous Muslim nation. Leaders of the country's Christian minority said they were determined to hold services as normal, but acknowledged that fears of bombings had dampened the festive spirit.

4 February, 2004 INDONESIA New Muslim militant group born to fight Christians Jakarta (AsiaNews)- The latest analysis report prepared by the Jakarta-based International Crisis Group (ICG) released early this week, stated that a radical new Islamic militia had emerged in the country. The newly established group ?Mujahedden Kompak? was formed by hard-liners who split from ?Jemaah Islamiyah?, considered to be Al-Qaeda?s affiliate in Southeast Asia. The report-analysis, written by ICG?s Chapter Director Sidney Jones, an American expert in Southeast Asian issues, describes the faction. The Muslim militant group exists in the Central Sulawesi province, and is highly concentrated in the...