An Indonesian man, during an attack on a church with a sword, has been shot by police.
The man attacked a Sunday Mass service holding a sword one metre long, injuring four people and a priest. There were about 100 people present at the service.
“Four people have been injured in the incident quite seriously but we still cannot determine the perpetrator’s motive,” police spokesman Yulianto said to AFP.
Andhi Cahyo a congregation member said the attack happened just a few minutes after the mass started. A member of the church ran into the room bleeding from the head and shouting, followed by the sword-wielding maniac.
“Everybody started panicking and screaming, I was scrambling to save my wife and children.”
People in the church ran out through another door and the assailant pursued them while also destroying church property.
He also attacked a priest who was standing at the altar.
Police arrived on the scene shortly after the attack and fired a warning shot into the air to subdue the perpetrator, who refused to surrender.
After the warning shot was fired, the attacker charged towards the officer with his sword. The officer then shot him below his stomach, but he managed to injure the cop before being subdued.”
Those who suffered injuries have been transferred to Panti Rapih hospital for treatment.
This was the latest attack on a minority in a mostly Muslim country. Indonesia is home to Christians, Hindus and Buddhists though Muslim’s make up the majority.
In 2016 a man allegedly threw a Molotov cocktail at a church during a Sunday service injuring a lot of children.