PALU, 19 July 2004 - Unidentified gunmen burst into a Christian church in central Indonesia and opened fire, killing the female minister and wounding four worshippers, police said Monday. The killing took place in Palu, central Sulawesi province, which has been hit by sporadic violence between Muslims and Christians since 2001. At least 1,000 people have been killed.
Two men armed with automatic weapons overpowered the security guard at Palu's Effata Church before opening fire, national police spokesman Gen. Paiman said. Preacher Susianti Tinulele was killed instantly, and four others were injured, he said.
"We are trying to determine the motive,'' said Paiman, who goes by a single name. "It is very disturbing that attacks like this continue to happen in churches in Palu.''
In May, gunmen killed a prominent Christian prosecutor in Palu as he left church. The town, 600 kilometers (1,000 miles) northeast of Jakarta, was a major battleground in fighting between Christians and Muslims three years ago. Large-scale clashes between the two sides have now subsided, but occasional shootings and bomb blasts still take place in the region.
Intelligence officials have blamed a spate of deadly attacks on Christians late last year on Jemaah Islamiyah, the al-Qaida linked terror group accused in the 2002 Bali bombings. Indonesia is the world's most populous Muslim nation, but Central Sulawesi has roughly equal Muslim and Christian populations.-
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