A terrorist attack at a crowded Catholic Church in Indonesia has been averted when a suicide bomber's vest failed to detonate.
Rev. Albert Pandiangan was slightly hurt after the suspect stabbed him before setting off the explosives inside the Saint Joseph Church in Medan.
The incident, which happened in the Northern part of Sumatra, was yet another episode to emerge in connection with the global support for the Islamic State's (IS) goals for widespread supremacy.
While occurrence of this kind surfaces every now and then in Indonesia, the clear motive behind the attack is usually affiliated with the archipelago's Muslim adherence to Islamist tendencies.
National Police Public Spokesman Maj. Gen. Roy Rafli Amar has stated that the 18-year old suspect has suffered only burn wounds.
A backpack containing an unexploded bomb was recovered from the assailant who has been sitting with other worshippers before the incident.
Churchgoers managed to restrain the teenager after wounding the hand of the 60-year old priest. A bomb squad has arrived shortly to investigate whether there are other explosives within the vicinity.
A member of the congregation said that the attacker was somewhat agitated the entire time during the church service. It has been perceived that the botched attempt may have driven the teenager to rush towards the priest with a sharp weapon in hand. A slight explosion which resembled like fireworks happened prior to the occurrence at the altar.
Confiscated items by the police have showed the suspect's identification card including a hand-drawn image of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria's (ISIS) flag. Law enforcers said that the perpetrator is being interrogated and a house search for any bomb-making materials will follow.
