2005 Palu market bombing

A market was bombed on 31 December 2005, in Palu, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. An improvised explosive device, described as a nail bomb or similar,^[1] 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.^[1][2][3]

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.^[4] A second explosive device was reportedly discovered around four metres from the initial blast site, nearby a stall selling pork, and defused.^[5][6]

The target, a market in a district dominated by the mostly Christian Minahasa ethnic group,^[7] may have been selected to maximize Christian casualties, as Central Sulawesi province had previously been the site of significant sectarian violence between Christian and Muslim factions that claimed over a thousand lives between 1998 and 2002.^[6][8] 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, because it is related to the death of Azahari Husin in an ambush at Batu, East Java on 9 November 2005.^[2]