A suspected suicide bombing hit the Medan Police precinct headquarters in North Sumatra, on Wednesday morning. As many as six people were injured in the attack. The suspected suicide bomber was killed, local media said citing police.
"Yes, it is suspected to be [...] a suicide bombing. The perpetrator is suspected to have died, but the team [of police] are still examining the crime scene," an official told Kompas TV.
The 24-year old, who the police said was a lone wolf, detonated the bomb in the parking lot of the police headquarters. "For now, we believe he was a lone wolf ... The initial of the perpetrator is RMM, he is 24 years old, he was born in Medan and he is a student, and more of his identity is still under investigation by Densus 88," national police spokesman Dedi Prasetyo said, according to Channel News Asia.
Spike in terror attacks
Indonesia has seen a spike in terror attacks in recent years. The attacker was active on social media, local reports said, but police could not specify if he was part of any terror network.
"Once we know the bomber's identity, we will investigate if he was part of the JAD (Jamaah Ansharut Daulah) network or if he was a lone wolf," the police spokesman added.
In October 2016, three Indonesian policemen were injured in a knife attack by a suspected Islamic State supporter in capital Jakarta. Earlier in the year, four Islamic State-linked militants launched a gun and bomb attack in Jakarta, resulting in eight deaths.
In July that year, a police station in Solo was blown up by militants, injuring a police officer. Following the Jakarta attack, Indonesian police launched a series of crackdowns on jihadi cells and arrested dozens of suspected Islamic radicals. In August, Indonesian police arrested six suspected militants in Batam island for allegedly planning to launch a rocket attack on Singapore's Marina Bay.
