--- description: Bloodshed at a crowded Catholic church was narrowly averted, when a would-be Islamist suicide bomber failed to detonate his vest title: Indonesia: Suicide Attack on Catholic Church Averted image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6a015d4ceb535aff/6988a3f8428a9e2047cd40e4/gettyimages-596743618.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [indonesia](/tag/indonesia/) ## indonesia Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # A Suicide Bomber Tried to Attack a Church in Indonesia, but His Vest Failed to Detonate by [Rishi Iyengar](/author/rishi-iyengar/) ## Rishi Iyengar Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Updated: Dec 14, 2023 10:11 PM CUTPublished: Aug 29, 2016 2:59 AM CUT  Indonesian bomb-squad officers carry an explosive from the Santo Yosef church in the Indonesian city of Medan on Aug. 28, 2016, after a man tried to attack it Indonesian bomb-squad officers carry an explosive from the Santo Yosef church in the Indonesian city of Medan on Aug. 28, 2016, after a man tried to attack itHakim Rangkuti—AFP/Getty Images by [Rishi Iyengar](/author/rishi-iyengar/) ## Rishi Iyengar Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Updated: Dec 14, 2023 10:11 PM CUTPublished: Aug 29, 2016 2:59 AM CUT A terrorist attack at a crowded Catholic church in Indonesia on Sunday was narrowly averted, when a would-be Islamist suicide bomber [failed to detonate](http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/failed-suicide-bomber-attacks-catholic-church-medan/ "undefined") his vest. The 17-year-old suspect entered a church in the Sumatran city of Medan during the Sunday service, according to the Jakarta _Globe_. He rushed toward the priest who was leading the service and tried to stab him before setting off the vest, an action that only produced sparks. The priest, meanwhile, escaped unhurt except for a few scratches on his arm. **Read next:** [_Indonesia’s Overcrowded Prisons Are a Breeding Ground for Islamic Extremism_](http://time.com/4208984/indonesia-extremism-deradicalization-prisons/ "undefined") The assailant, who was carrying an ax and a pipe bomb in his backpack along with the knife and vest, was immediately captured by church attendees and subsequently turned over to authorities. A police official told the _Globe_ that a drawing resembling the ISIS flag was recovered at the scene. [According](http://en.tempo.co/read/news/2016/08/29/055799756/Medan-Church-Attacker-a-Lone-Wolf:-Minister-Wiranto?utm%5Fsource=dlvr.it&utm%5Fmedium=twitter "undefined") to local publication _Tempo,_ the Southeast Asian nation’s top security minister, Wiranto, said the attacker was a “lone wolf” and not affiliated with any particular group. However, Wiranto added that the teenager was “obsessed” with ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, based on videos recovered from his cellphone and a note on his backpack that read “I Love al-Baghdadi.” **Read next:** [_ISIS Has Launched a Newspaper to Recruit Southeast Asian Fighters_](http://time.com/4400505/isis-newspaper-malay-southeast-asia-al-fatihin/ "undefined") Muslim-majority Indonesia has seen an [uptick in Islamic extremism](http://time.com/4447877/terrorism-asia-funding-funds-indonesia/ "undefined") this year, with [fatal bombings in Jakarta](http://time.com/4182127/indonesia-jakarta-attacks-isis-is-terrorism/ "undefined") in January followed by multiple attempted attacks — the [last of which](http://time.com/4392782/indonesia-suicide-bomber-solo-surakarta-terrorism/ "undefined") took place in early July. \[[_Jakarta Globe_](http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/failed-suicide-bomber-attacks-catholic-church-medan/ "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4470120/indonesia-medan-suicide-bombing-isis-islamist/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4470120/indonesia-medan-suicide-bombing-isis-islamist/"},"headline":"A Suicide Bomber Tried to Attack a Church in Indonesia, but His Vest Failed to Detonate","datePublished":"2016-08-29T02:59:52.000Z","dateModified":"2023-12-14T22:11:58.000Z","description":"A drawing resembling the ISIS flag was reportedly found on the young attacker","url":"https://time.com/4470120/indonesia-medan-suicide-bombing-isis-islamist/","keywords":["indonesia","Terrorism","Church","ISIS","Sumatra","Fail"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6a015d4ceb535aff/6988a3f8428a9e2047cd40e4/gettyimages-596743618.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Rishi Iyengar","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/rishi-iyengar/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6a015d4ceb535aff/6988a3f8428a9e2047cd40e4/gettyimages-596743618.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"INDONESIA-ATTACKS-UNREST-PRIEST","caption":"INDONESIA-ATTACKS-UNREST-PRIEST","creditText":"Hakim Rangkuti—AFP/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/indonesia/","name":"indonesia"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4470120/indonesia-medan-suicide-bombing-isis-islamist/","name":"A Suicide Bomber Tried to Attack a Church in Indonesia, but His Vest Failed to Detonate"}}]}] ```