17-year-old Medan Catholic church bomber a ‘puppet’, says country’s anti-terror agency chief

MEDAN — The young failed suicide bomber in Sunday’s (Aug 28) Medan terror attack is believed to have met an unidentified man on the street prior to the event, preliminary investigations have found.

“We are still interrogating the suspect. He said someone he met on the street asked him to launch the attack,” Medan Police Chief Comr Mardiaz Khusin Dwihananto said.

Medan police is currently questioning the suspect, 17-year-old Ivan Armadi Hasugian, to investigate the link.

“(Ivan) confessed he did not knew anything about the man’s identity,” Mr Dwihananto said.

National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) chief Comr Gen Suhardi Alius told Beritasatu the suspect is only a “puppet”, as he is too young to have planned the attack by his own.

“Considering his young age, there has to be someone else who supports him. We are currently digging to seek his identity,” Mr Alius said.

The failed attack occurred while Father Albert S Pandingan led the Sunday service at Medan’s St Yoseph church when the suspect ran towards to pulpit and attempted to kill the priest.

The bomb hidden in the suspect’s vest failed to detonate, only creating sparks which injured the would-be attacker. The priest sustained only minor scratches to his arm and has been transferred to a hospital nearby the church.

Members of the church congregation seized the suspect, who was carrying a knife, an axe and a pipe bomb in his backpack, before police arrived to clear and secure the venue. There are no major casualties in the incident. JAKARTA GLOBE