Diverse Memory May 13-14, 2018: Detetan Bom Lakukan Dua Keluarga, Mencuruh Church Dan Headquarters Polisi Di Surabaya

The Central Housing Church in Surabaya was attacked by suicide bombings on May 13, 2018. (Between/Surabaya City Government)

JAKARTA - The 2018 Surabaya bombing is one of Indonesia's most recent tragedys. A terrorist family carried out suicide bombings in three churches in Surabaya. The perpetrators were also linked to the Jemaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD) terrorist group.

However, the church bombing terror has not yet been completed, the day after the other terrorist families perpetuated the bombing. The Surabaya Police Headquarters is the target of a suicide bombing. As a result, four people who incidentally carried out the bombing died. The remaining 10 people were injured.

May 13, 2018, became a marker of grief in Surabaya. One terrorist family carried out suicide bombings in three churches. One family included Dita Oepriarto (husband), Puji Kuswati (wife), and their children with the initials Famela Rizqita, Fadhila Sari, Firman Alim, and Yusuf Fadhil.

They share their respective roles. The first explosion that occurred in the Catholic Church of Santa Maria at 06:30 WIB was Firman Alim and Yusuf Fadhil's job. Both are known to drive a motorbike and enter the church yard. The freedom made them carry out a suicide bombing which resulted in the death of seven people, two of whom were the perpetrators.

The second explosion that occurred at the Indonesian Christian Church (GKI) was carried out by Puji Kuswati who invited her two daughters, Famela Rizqita and Fadhila Sari. As a result, three died. All of them were suicide bombers.

The third explosion was carried out by Dita Oeprianto at the Central Kalimantan Church at 07:53 WIB. He perpetuated the suicide bombing right after lowering his wife and two daughters in GKI. Dita's suicide bombing was carried out by crashing the car he was driving towards the church. The incident left Dita and seven others dead.

A bomb explosion in three churches in Surabaya (13 May 2018). There was an explosion due to a suicide bombing in three churches in Surabaya, namely the Catholic Church of Santa Maria, the Roman Church on Arjuna Street, and the GKI on Diponegoro Street. The suicide bomber is a family consisting of six members and all of them have died.

The head of the suicide bomb family named Dita is the leader of JAD Surabaya. Surabaya residents who died from the bomb explosion reached twelve people and dozens of others were injured," said Suhardi Elius in the book Leader with a Heart: Experience as Head of BNPT (2019).

The bombing of three churches in Surabaya brought deep sorrow to all Indonesian people, specifically for the people of East Java. They condemned the bombings carried out by terrorists. Moreover, they involved their families as well. However, the Indonesian people were forced to mourn again the next day on May 14, 2018.

A terrorist family again carried out the bombing by making the Surabaya Police Headquarters the main target. The bomb exploded in front of the gate of the Surabaya Police at 08:30 WIB.

Local police revealed that the suicide bombers used two motorbikes, three men and one woman. Based on CCTV footage, the suicide bomber tried to take advantage of the entrance to the Polresta yard by grabbing the minibus queue at the checkpoint.

The bomb exploded at the entrance. As a result, four of the suicide bombers were killed. There were 10 injured. Four police officers, the remaining six residents.

National Police Chief General Tito Karnavian (now: Indonesian Minister of Home Affairs) spoke up. He revealed that the perpetrators of the bombing were part of the JAD. Therefore, the motive for the bombing was allegedly because the head of JAD, Aman Abdurrahman, was arrested by the police. As a form of revenge, the group of terrorists carried out the bombing in Surabaya.

Another family, JAD followers who are also connected to Dita's activities, husband, wife and child, have carried out terrorist attacks using 2 motorbikes at the entrance to the Surabaya Police Headquarters, which killed 4 people, including the perpetrator, Tri Murtiono, apart from being injured.

The two terrorist families who carried out suicide bombings and bombs involving women, wives and children, were the result of the guidance of Kholid Abu Bakar. Kholid is a member of the JAD who has been in Turkey for nine months, in his efforts to get into Syria, before being deported to Indonesia in January 2017. he is an ideologist, a teacher of terrorism doctrine, to the three suicide bombers in East Java," said Poltak Partogi Nainggolan in the book Kekhalifah ISIS in Southeast Asia (2019).