2005 Palu market bombing

2005 Palu market bombing
LocationPalu, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia
Date31 December 2005; 18 years ago (2005-12-31)
7:05 am (UTC+8)
TargetMeat market in southern Maesa district, Palu
Attack type
Bombing, mass murder, terrorism
WeaponsNail bomb
Deaths8
Injured53
PerpetratorNoordin Mohammad Top (mastermind)

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]

  1. ^ a b "Bombing kills eight at Indonesian market". USA Today. Associated Press. 31 January 2005. Retrieved 28 July 2011.
  2. ^ a b "At least eight killed in Indonesia market blast". CTV.ca News. 31 December 2005. Archived from the original on July 27, 2011. Retrieved 28 July 2011.
  3. ^ "Indonesian police detain man after market bombing". ABC Australia. Reuters. 1 January 2006. Retrieved 28 July 2011.
  4. ^ "Violence plagued province in Indonesia suffers bomb blast; 6 killed, 45 injured". Record-Journal. 31 December 2005. Retrieved 28 July 2011.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference xinpalu was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ a b "Indonesia bomb leaves eight dead". BBC Online. 31 December 2005. Retrieved 28 July 2011.
  7. ^ "Bomb Explosion In Palu, Central Sulawesi Kills Six, Injures 43". Bernama.com. Retrieved 28 July 2011.
  8. ^ "IV. Part Two: Chronology of the Conflict". Four Years of Communal Violence in Central Sulawesi. Human Rights Watch. Retrieved 28 July 2011.