December 2005 Palu bombing
Encyclopedia
The 2005 Palu market bombing occurred on 31 December, 2005, in Palu
, Central Sulawesi
, Indonesia
. An improvised explosive device
, described as a nail bomb
or similar, detonated around 7:00 a.m. within a Palu
butcher's market mostly frequented by Christians shopping for New Year's Eve
celebrations, killing eight people and wounding a further 53.
The bomb detonated within a partially enclosed butcher's shop
that sold pig
and dog
meat direct to the public, both of which are forbidden under Islamic custom
. A second explosive device was reportedly discovered around four metres from the initial blast site, nearby a stall selling pork
, and defused.
The target, a market in a district dominated by the mostly Christian Minahasa
ethnic group, may have been selected to maximise Christian
casualties, as Central Sulawesi
province had previously been the site of significant sectarian violence
between Christian and Muslim factions which claimed over a thousand lives between 1998 and 2002. The conflict had largely been concentrated around the Poso region of the province and Palu had largely been spared wide scale violence and then Indonesian Security Minister Widodo Adisucipto suggested Jemaah Islamiyah
may have been responsible for the attack.
and opposite the Bethel Church in the Maesa subdistrict, south of Palu
. Police officials stated the bomb was filled with nails and ball bearings, and most of the victims suffered injuries to their limbs due the shrapnel
from the device. Bystanders are described as having carried the wounded from the makeshift market to a road, and placing them in passing cars to be taken to local hospitals, where at least 20 shoppers were treated for serious injuries in the attack.
Several of the fatalities were identified as Bambang Wiyono Saputra (50), Yakulina Tana (45), Agustina Mande (37) the owners of the stall, Yoppie (42) and his wife Meisye (39) and a member of the Intelligence Unit of the Tadulako District Army Command, Sgt. Tasman Lahansang.
denounced the bombing and conveyed his condolences
to the families of the victims. Roadblocks were established in the Palu region and a team from the federal Detective and Crimes Unit, or Bareskrim, was deployed directly to Palu
to aid the ongoing investigation
.
A single person was arrested the same day, according to a report by provincial police chief Oegroseno, although it was unclear whether he was a direct suspect, police would only say that he had been acting suspiciously and asked vendors where they lived.
Convicted terrorist financier
Eko Budi Wardoyo is suspected of involvement in the Palu
market bombing following his involvement in the murder
of Reverend Susianti Tinulele, a female pastor killed on 18 July 2004 during an attack on a South Palu church that also wounded four teenagers. Wardoyo was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment
in 2010 for funding that attack and giving assistance to the criminals found responsible for the 2005 Tentena market bombings
that claimed 22 lives on 28 May 2005.
Another bomb was discovered among street vendors near Palu Plaza during the Idul Fitri festival in 2008 and detonated by the local Palu bomb squad without incident.
Palu
Palu is a chartered city on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, located 1,650 km northeast of Jakarta, at . It is the capital of the province of Central Sulawesi. The city sits on the mouth of Palu River, at the head of a long, narrow bay. Because of its sheltered position between mountain...
, Central Sulawesi
Central Sulawesi
Central Sulawesi is a province of Indonesia located in the centre of Sulawesi. It was established on 13 April 1964....
, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
. An improvised explosive device
Improvised explosive device
An improvised explosive device , also known as a roadside bomb, is a homemade bomb constructed and deployed in ways other than in conventional military action...
, described as a nail bomb
Nail bomb
The nail bomb is an anti-personnel explosive device packed with nails to increase its wounding ability. The nails act as shrapnel, leading almost certainly to greater loss of life and injury in inhabited areas than the explosives alone would. The nail bomb is also a type of flechette weapon...
or similar, detonated around 7:00 a.m. within a Palu
Palu
Palu is a chartered city on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, located 1,650 km northeast of Jakarta, at . It is the capital of the province of Central Sulawesi. The city sits on the mouth of Palu River, at the head of a long, narrow bay. Because of its sheltered position between mountain...
butcher's market mostly frequented by Christians shopping for New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve is observed annually on December 31, the final day of any given year in the Gregorian calendar. In modern societies, New Year's Eve is often celebrated at social gatherings, during which participants dance, eat, consume alcoholic beverages, and watch or light fireworks to mark the...
celebrations, killing eight people and wounding a further 53.
The bomb detonated within a partially enclosed butcher's shop
Butcher
A butcher is a person who may slaughter animals, dress their flesh, sell their meat or any combination of these three tasks. They may prepare standard cuts of meat, poultry, fish and shellfish for sale in retail or wholesale food establishments...
that sold pig
Pork
Pork is the culinary name for meat from the domestic pig , which is eaten in many countries. It is one of the most commonly consumed meats worldwide, with evidence of pig husbandry dating back to 5000 BC....
and dog
Dog
The domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in...
meat direct to the public, both of which are forbidden under Islamic custom
Religious restrictions on the consumption of pork
Religious restrictions on the consumption of pork are a tradition in the Ancient Near East. Swine were prohibited in ancient Syria and Phoenicia, and the pig and its flesh represented a taboo observed, Strabo noted, at Comana in Pontus A lost poem of Hermesianax, reported centuries later by the...
. A second explosive device was reportedly discovered around four metres from the initial blast site, nearby a stall selling pork
Pork
Pork is the culinary name for meat from the domestic pig , which is eaten in many countries. It is one of the most commonly consumed meats worldwide, with evidence of pig husbandry dating back to 5000 BC....
, and defused.
The target, a market in a district dominated by the mostly Christian Minahasa
Minahasa
The Minahasa are an ethnic group located in the North Sulawesi province of Indonesia, formerly known as North Celebes...
ethnic group, may have been selected to maximise Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
casualties, as Central Sulawesi
Central Sulawesi
Central Sulawesi is a province of Indonesia located in the centre of Sulawesi. It was established on 13 April 1964....
province had previously been the site of significant sectarian violence
Sectarian violence
Sectarian violence and/or sectarian strife is violence inspired by sectarianism, that is, between different sects of one particular mode of ideology or religion within a nation/community...
between Christian and Muslim factions which claimed over a thousand lives between 1998 and 2002. The conflict had largely been concentrated around the Poso region of the province and Palu had largely been spared wide scale violence and then Indonesian Security Minister Widodo Adisucipto suggested Jemaah Islamiyah
Jemaah Islamiyah
Jemaah Islamiah , is a Southeast Asian militant Islamic organization dedicated to the establishment of a Daulah Islamiyah in Southeast Asia incorporating Indonesia, Malaysia, the southern Philippines, Singapore and Brunei...
may have been responsible for the attack.
The attack
The device, described as home-made and low-explosive, detonated at 7:05 a.m. within a meat stall in front of a house used for the slaughter of pigsPIGS
PIGS is a four letter acronym that can stand for:* PIGS , Phosphatidylinositol glycan anchor biosynthesis, class S, a human gene* PIGS , the economies of Portugal, Italy , Greece and Spain...
and opposite the Bethel Church in the Maesa subdistrict, south of Palu
Palu
Palu is a chartered city on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, located 1,650 km northeast of Jakarta, at . It is the capital of the province of Central Sulawesi. The city sits on the mouth of Palu River, at the head of a long, narrow bay. Because of its sheltered position between mountain...
. Police officials stated the bomb was filled with nails and ball bearings, and most of the victims suffered injuries to their limbs due the shrapnel
Shrapnel
Shrapnel shells were anti-personnel artillery munitions which carried a large number of individual bullets close to the target and then ejected them to allow them to continue along the shell's trajectory and strike the target individually. They relied almost entirely on the shell's velocity for...
from the device. Bystanders are described as having carried the wounded from the makeshift market to a road, and placing them in passing cars to be taken to local hospitals, where at least 20 shoppers were treated for serious injuries in the attack.
Several of the fatalities were identified as Bambang Wiyono Saputra (50), Yakulina Tana (45), Agustina Mande (37) the owners of the stall, Yoppie (42) and his wife Meisye (39) and a member of the Intelligence Unit of the Tadulako District Army Command, Sgt. Tasman Lahansang.
Investigation
Following the attack, President Susilo Bambang YudhoyonoSusilo Bambang Yudhoyono
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono AC , is an Indonesian politician and retired Army general officer who has been President of Indonesia since 2004....
denounced the bombing and conveyed his condolences
Condolences
Condolences are an expression of sympathy to someone who has experienced grief arising from death, deep mental anguish, or misfortune.When individuals condole, or offer their condolences to a particular situation or person, they are offering active, conscious support of that person or activity...
to the families of the victims. Roadblocks were established in the Palu region and a team from the federal Detective and Crimes Unit, or Bareskrim, was deployed directly to Palu
Palu
Palu is a chartered city on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, located 1,650 km northeast of Jakarta, at . It is the capital of the province of Central Sulawesi. The city sits on the mouth of Palu River, at the head of a long, narrow bay. Because of its sheltered position between mountain...
to aid the ongoing investigation
Investigation
Investigation may refer to:In law enforcement:* The work of a Private investigator* The work of a Detective*Federal Bureau of Investigation, the primary investigative arm of the US Department of Justice...
.
A single person was arrested the same day, according to a report by provincial police chief Oegroseno, although it was unclear whether he was a direct suspect, police would only say that he had been acting suspiciously and asked vendors where they lived.
Convicted terrorist financier
Terrorist Financing
Terrorist financing came into limelight after the events of terrorism on 9/11. The US passed the USA PATRIOT Act to, among other reasons, attempt thwarting the financing of terrorism and anti-money laundering making sure these were given some sort of adequate focus by US financial institutions...
Eko Budi Wardoyo is suspected of involvement in the Palu
Palu
Palu is a chartered city on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, located 1,650 km northeast of Jakarta, at . It is the capital of the province of Central Sulawesi. The city sits on the mouth of Palu River, at the head of a long, narrow bay. Because of its sheltered position between mountain...
market bombing following his involvement in the murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
of Reverend Susianti Tinulele, a female pastor killed on 18 July 2004 during an attack on a South Palu church that also wounded four teenagers. Wardoyo was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment
Imprisonment
Imprisonment is a legal term.The book Termes de la Ley contains the following definition:This passage was approved by Atkin and Duke LJJ in Meering v Grahame White Aviation Co....
in 2010 for funding that attack and giving assistance to the criminals found responsible for the 2005 Tentena market bombings
2005 Tentena market bombings
The 2005 Tentena market bombings occurred on 28 May 2005 in Tentena, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. Two improvised explosive devices, set to explode 15 minutes apart, detonated during the morning at a market in the center of Tentena, killing 22 and wounding at least 40 more. The fatalities included a...
that claimed 22 lives on 28 May 2005.
Another bomb was discovered among street vendors near Palu Plaza during the Idul Fitri festival in 2008 and detonated by the local Palu bomb squad without incident.