Indonesian police ask churches to start digging bomb holes

Police told churches to prepare for possible Christmas attacks by digging holes, saying all suspicious objects should be stored underground until a bomb squad arrives. Suspected militants from the al-Qaida-linked terror group Jemaah Islamiyah bombed 11 churches on Christmas Eve in 2000, killing 19 people, and police have said more attacks were being planned this year.

Police in the central city of Solo ordered churches to start digging holes 10 meters (yards) from their buildings and to prepare steel boxes in case suspicious items are found, said the local police chief, Abdul Madjid.

Anything that looks like it might be a bomb should be placed in the one-meter (three-foot) -deep holes or in the boxes until the bomb squad or anti-terror unit can get there, he said.

Indonesia is the world's most populous Muslim nation, but most people practice a moderate form of the faith. Attacks against Christians, who form just 8 percent of the population, have increased amid a global rise in Islamic radicalism, reports the AP. I.L.

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