T

he attack on St. Lidwina Catholic church in Sleman, Yogyakarta, on Sunday, conforms to a pattern of terrorist attacks that have taken place in countries across the world in recent years.

Although Suliyono, the suspect in the case, and his actions are under investigation, he fits the profile of a so-called lone-wolf terrorist. This kind of terrorist has become more common and is notoriously difficult for authorities to deal with.

National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Setyo Wasisto said the police had not yet found if Suliyono had any links to extremist groups. The police concluded that Suliyono was a lone-wolf terrorist because it appears he acted alone, he went on.

Setyo further explained that Suliyono was radicalized when he joined several religious organizations as a school student in Sulawesi. He refused to disclose the names of the organizations, which might have influenced him with radical teachings.

Three days before the attack, Setyo said, Suliyono stayed in a mushola (prayer room) in Yogyakarta and reportedly communicated with the man who takes care of the mushola. During his stay, Suliyono searched on the internet for the nearest church and where to find a weapon.

“He exchanged his mobile phone for the 1-meter-long sword [used in the attack],” said Setyo. Five people were injured in the incident.

The police also found that Suliyono had applied for a passport two or three times in an attempt to travel to Syria, however immigration officials rejected all of his passport applications because of ID-related issues.

The police named Suliyono a terrorist suspect on Tuesday, where he was charged under three different laws on persecution, sharp-weapon ownership and terrorism.

“The police considered him a terrorist because [his acts were intended to] frighten people,” National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. Muhammad Iqbal said on Tuesday.

Suliyono could face the death penalty as stipulated in the 2003 Terrorism Law, which is being revised and deliberated in the House of Representatives.

The St. Lidwina church attack has added to the long list of religious-related violence plaguing areas in the country. Two weeks earlier, a group of people forced the St. Paulus Catholic church in Bantul, Yogyakarta, to cancel its social care program. They accused the church of using the activity to convert people to Christianity.

Earlier this month, a Buddhist monk from Caringin village, Tangerang regency, Banten, was forced by local residents to write a letter promising to stop his religious activities.

Former terrorist Ali Fauzi explained to The Jakarta Post that it was likely Suliyono had chosen Yogyakarta as his target because its population had diverse religious, ethic and sociocultural backgrounds.

“It seemed he knew very well that attacking this region would trigger widespread societal conflict,” said Ali.

Jakarta-based Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict (IPAC) director Sidney Jones said on Tuesday that in some cases, extremists targeted churches because they were seen as trying to convert Muslims.

“Many violent extremist groups, including those linked to the Islamic State [IS] movement, are taught that Christians and Jews are the enemies of Islam,” she said, citing the Bethel Church bombing in Surakarta, Central Java, in 2011, as an example.

However, Jones said, based on previous cases the police would continue to be the primary target for terrorists. The police are seen as agents of the oppressors, which in this context is the current government, she said. (srs)